West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has set the stage for the Assembly elections next year. She took on Prime Minister Modi, accusing him of behaving like a migratory bird. "Modi travels to West Bengal like a migratory bird every time there is an election knocking at the door," she said.
She further said: "I want him to come throughout the year. After all, he gets everything — road, travel, stay, food — for free. I don't even take a salary from the government. I am a seven-time MP. I could have got Rs 2.5-3 lakh as pension. But I don't. No one remembers that. Even if I stay at any circuit house, I pay from my pocket. My earning is limited to the sale of my books."
Mamata Banerjee Hits Back At Modi Over 'Thief' Remark
The Bengal Chief Minister then launched a sharp counterattack on PM Modi, saying she never imagined he would "disrespect her chair" and brand the people of her state as "thieves".
Banerjee's remarks came during a government programme in Bardhaman town of Purba Bardhaman district, where she was distributing the benefits of social welfare schemes. Calling the Prime Minister's comments an "insult" to every resident of Bengal, she accused the Centre of withholding crucial funds and pushing the state exchequer into a financial crunch.
"The Prime Minister should respect my chair, just as I respect his. I never expected him to call the people of West Bengal ‘thieves'," Banerjee said, her tone laced with anger. "West Bengal has 1.5 crore outsiders, but we don't treat them like Bengali-speaking people are being treated, tortured elsewhere," she said.
She went further, alleging that Modi ignores rampant corruption in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar, while unfairly targeting Bengal. "In truth, he has turned a blind eye to the performances of these so-called 'double-engine' governments, where corruption is at its highest," she claimed.
She insisted that her administration has provided the Union government with all necessary clarifications regarding the use of central welfare funds.
"We have answered every question, yet they block our funds and call Bengal a thief. They sent 186 central teams to investigate alleged corruption here, and not one could find anything. How can a student be given zero marks after writing all the answers? We will not tolerate this insult," Banerjee thundered.
Her comments were in direct response to Modi's recent rally in Kolkata on August 22, where he accused the Trinamool Congress of being synonymous with "corruption and crime". At that event, Modi alleged that central funds meant for the people were being siphoned off by TMC cadres instead of reaching the intended beneficiaries.