Exhorting those with Leftist principles to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC), party chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here on Monday saying the two seats the party won in the State in the recent Lok Sabha polls will be reduced to zero in the next general elections.
Addressing a massive rally in the heart of the city on Martyrs Day to pay homage to 13 Youth Congress workers killed in police firing on July 21, 1993, much of Ms. Banerjee’s half-an-hour speech was directed at the BJP and those acting as “agents” of “communal elements” and “maligning” her party.
In her speech, she said, “With all respect, I say, those who believe in Leftist principles, values, join Trinamool, work for the people. Don't sell yourself to the lure of money… ”.
Ms. Banerjee, once considered the staunchest critic of the Left parties, went on to tell Left supporters that for those “who have some idealism, belief in value-based politics,” the Trinamool Congress is the right place, as it is the party of the people.
In her attack on the BJP, Ms. Banerjee said there was no place for divisive and communal politics in the State. “The BJP had one seat. They have gained one more. But the way they are campaigning and behaving, it seems as if they have achieved a lot. They now have two seats. It will never become three, and will come down to zero in the next general elections.”
The Trinamool Congress chairperson reiterated that she would continue to paint and write to meet the expenses of the party and she does not need money from other sources.
“I openly tell people ‘Don’t give money for running my government. I don’t take money from people. If election comes I will again write and draw,” she said, adding that some people are critical of her for selling her paintings.
Ms. Banerjee also warned her party workers against indulging in any wrongdoing and made it clear that leaders would not be selected on the basis of lobbying.
