Agartala: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday described the “double engine” slogan of the BJP as a failed experiment of delivering pro-people governance and vouched for a “people’s engine” government inspired by the Bengal model of governance. Raising a litany of charges against the BJP, Congress and CPIM, Banerjee sought a chance for the Trinamool Congress, a party she claimed never betrayed people.
“That CPIM which used to give voice to the poor no longer exists, nor the Congress remained the same all these years. If Congress was capable enough to fight the rivals, we wouldn’t have parted away and formed the Trinamool Congress. Congress always acted as the second fiddle to the CPIM in Bengal and Tripura. In the latest development, these two parties got another friend—BJP,” Banerjee told her first public meeting at Agartala ever since the Trinamool Congress forayed into the political landscape of Tripura.
Highlighting the Bengal model’s success and its global recognition by the United Nations and UNESCO, Banerjee said, “People of Tripura have seen Congress, CPIM and BJP. This time you should test Trinamool Congress. We are not begging for votes, your vote is a loan for us that will be repaid with full interest. What we promise, we deliver which is why we have succeeded to tide over three political parties conspiring against us in Bengal. CPIM and Congress should first fix their ideological direction before reaching out to people. I am ready to sacrifice myself on the battlefield but a compromise is unacceptable.”
Banerjee arrived at Agartala on Wednesday and went straight to Tripura Sundari temple for prayers. On her way back she took a brief halt at Bishramganj and interacted with the local traders. Banerjee was also seen in a different mood as she fried some snacks at a local shop. On Thursday, her political event started with a Padayatra from Rabindra Bhavan. Thousands of TMC workers took to the streets with the party supremo as the rally covered all the prominent points of the state to culminate at the starting point. Followed by the Padayatra, the public meeting commenced.
Training her guns on the BJP, she said, “The history of Trinamool Congress is full of struggle. From mere grass, the party has worked hard to emerge as a big Banyan tree. Enough efforts have been made to trample the party but the party did not bow down before any pressure tactics. When they (BJP) failed to challenge us politically, ED and CBI have been let loose behind our leaders. For them, I have a clear message: This is not the end. Let’s wait for 2024, people will decide whether the double engine will stay or it will be ousted from power to install people’s engine.”
The TMC supremo also credited the party soldiers for bringing people out in the streets against the atrocities being meted out against them. “Let’s not forget, two year ago when people could not come out in the streets due to fear mongering by the ruling party, TMC established itself as the fiercest face of opposition. TMC brought people back to the streets seeking their rights.”
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Taking a dig at the turncoat leaders, Banerjee said, “There exist some opportunists who keep jumping ships from one another just to stay in power. Don’t get bothered by their politics, they are like guests for five years in each party they go for affiliation.”
Banerjee’s address focused mainly on the achievements of the Bengal government and welfare schemes. She also promised that similar amenities will be launched for the public in Tripura if TMC is voted into power.
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