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The Trinamool Congress on Friday, 2 April, said that the BJP spreads “fake news” after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, asking if she would be fighting the state Assembly polls from a second seat apart from Nandigram.
“The BJP spreads fake news. At times they say Mamata Banerjee will contest from some other constituency. Then they say she will lose from Nandigram. They also said that Prashant Kishor was leaving TMC. All these are lies,” said TMC MP Saugata Roy, reported ANI.
“Didi, is there any truth to the rumour that you are going to file nomination from another constituency? First you went there (Nandigram), and people gave you an answer. If you go somewhere else, people of Bengal are ready,” Modi said, addressing a rally in Uluberia on 1 April.
Speaking about the high percentage of voting in Nandigram, PM Modi said, “Didi must go. People of Nandigram have fulfilled this dream today. They can’t wait any longer to save their future and identity. They are not just voting, they are paving the way for a renaissance in Bengal.”
Earlier in the day, while addressing a rally in Bengal’s Jaynagar, he said, “Mamata Banerjee will have to answer for the deaths of brothers, sisters, and sons of Bengal.”
Modi went on to say that some weeks ago, people of Bengal were saying that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will get more than 200 seats, and the BJP's strong start in the first phase makes it clear that the voices of people have received god's blessing.
He paid tribute to the mother of a BJP worker who was allegedly beaten by TMC workers. “I would like to pay my tributes to Bengal's daughter Sova Majumder Ji. She was a representative of mothers and sisters of Bengal who were tortured by the people of TMC,” the PM said.
The TMC had called PM Modi’s trip to Bangladesh unethical and violative of the model code of conduct (MCC). However, Modi defended his visit to temples there and said, “I am not one to show reverence at temples seasonally. I always take pride in our faith and tradition. I visited Bangladesh where I offered prayers at Jeshoreshwari temple. Didi objected to it.”
Modi asserted that during the second phase of voting on Thursday, people were reaching polling booths in large numbers. He added, “Everywhere, there is only BJP. There is a BJP wave in Bengal.”
Continuing his attack on the Trinamool, he said, “Didi, if you want to appease anyone, you have every right to do so. You want to abuse me, keep abusing me. But I will not let you abuse people's devotion and the identity of Ram Krishna Paramhans, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and Swami Vivekananda.”
Modi further alleged that Mamata Banerjee has issues with the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan.
“Entire Bengal knows it. Didi has issues with Durga idol immersion. Entire Bengal knows it. Didi has now problems with vermillion and saffron cloth. Didi's men now call ‘chotiwalas’ as ‘rakshasas’,” he said.
“Now, I am listening to Didi saying – 'cool, cool'. Didi, Trinamool is not cool, it is a 'shool'. Trinamool is a 'shool' that gave unbearable pain to people of Bengal,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)
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