Mamata Banerjee Dares PM Modi To Live Debate: 'Bring Your Teleprompter'

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized PM Modi for politicizing "Operation Sindoor" and using lies to divide.

File photo of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

Source : PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of attempting to gain political mileage out of 'Operation Sindoor' – the Centre's military response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack. She also accused PM Modi of using lies to divide and rule after he criticised the TMC-led government’s action in Bengal during the Murshidabad violence. Banerjee also challenged him to sit with her on a live TV debate.

"What Modi ji said today, we are not only shocked but also very sad to hear this, when the Opposition is representing the country. In his presence, his minister said that they will do Operation Bengal, like Operation Sindoor. I challenge them - if they have guts, go into elections tomorrow, we are ready and Bengal is ready to accept your challenge," she said.

"I challenge you, come sit with me on a live TV debate. You may bring your teleprompter," Mamata Banerjee said.

"You are accusing the government and you want to blame the opposition at this time, at this hour, to politicise things just like the leader of the BJP Jumla Party. You are doing garbage. They loot the country and scoot. It doesn't look nice to talk in this manner,” Banerjee further added.

Mamata added that the comments by PM Modi were disappointing amid the Opposition’s support for the government amid Operation Sindoor.

“Our representative Abhishek Banerjee is also in the team. And he is speaking every day against terrorism, against terror. At that time, Mr Modi, not as the PM but as the BJP president, you are criticising the government (in Bengal) which is giving you full support, defending the country like anything," she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a rally at Alipurduar, hit out at the Mamata Banerjee-led government in Bengal and claimed that they had snatched the rights of the poor. He also said that Bengal was suffering from misgovernance and corruption under the rule of the TMC.

Earlier, TMC accused PM Modi of diverting attention from the BJP-led Centre’s failures and posed five 'counter-questions' in response to the PM’s remarks about crises allegedly affecting West Bengal. In a post on X, the party called upon the PM to first fix the mess in Manipur, which had witnessed severe law and order problems for over two years.