New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that she was heckled in Varanasi because the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is afraid of losing the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Election.
She addressed a Samajwadi Party rally in Varanasi in presence of party president Akhilesh Yadav and his alliance partner RLD chief Jayan Chaudhary.
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Mamata Banerjee called Akhilesh Yadav "chota bhai (younger brother)" and said that the "message is clear" the ruling BJP is losing in UP.
On Wednesday, she faced protests from Hindu Yuva Vahini during her visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency to campaign for the Samajwadi Party candidate.
Referring to the incident, she said, "Yesterday when I was going to Ghat from the airport, I saw some BJP workers who have nothing else except hooliganism in their brains. They stopped my vehicle. They hit my car with sticks and told me to go back. Then I realised that their (BJP) loss is imminent", ANI reported.
"Main darpok nahi, ladaaku hun (I am not coward, but combative)," the West Bengal Chief Minister said, recalling that she has been attacked several times, shot at, and beaten by sticks in past, but never bowed down.
She called the BJP "coward" and "thanked" the ruling party for yesterday's incident saying, "Message is clear, they (BJP) are going to lose. Why did they do it otherwise?"
The Trinamool Congress supremo declared "khela hoga", referring to the party's successful "khela hobe" poll campaign slogan in West Bengal.
Mamata Attacks PM Modi Over Indians Stranded In Ukraine
In Varanasi, Mamata Banerjee attacked PM Narendra Modi for addressing election rallies in Uttar Pradesh as Indians are stranded in Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian assault.
"If you had such good relations with Putin, you would have known about the Russian attack on Ukraine. Then why did you not evacuate Indian nationals? They are not getting water, food, help," she alleged.
Targeting UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, she said that he is not a seer and is in fact insulting them. "He is yogi by name, bhogi by work," Mamata said.
She alleged that the BJP talks about temples and Hindu-Muslim ahead of elections. She went on to chant durga stuti on stage and said "real Indians love one and all".
Mamata Banerjee claimed that the entire nation is against BJP. Concluding her address, the West Bengal Chief Minister reiterated "khela" will happen in Uttar Pradesh and Akhilesh Yadav-led SP alliance will win in the state.
Ahead of the speech, Akhilesh Yadav welcomed the TMC supremo citing her "historic win" against BJP last year where the party had put "everything at stake" to win the West Bengal election against her.
He said that her presence has boosted the morale of the Samajwadi Party as well as the people of Purvanchal.
The Uttar Pradesh assembly election is being held in seven phases. Polling for the sixth phase is underway, voting for the seventh and final phase will take place on March 7.
Election results for all five poll-bound states will be announced on March 10.