Launching a no holds barred attack on the BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said the saffron party had unleashed a malicious campaign against her and senior TMC leaders like Firhad Hakim and Abhishek Banerjee, PTI reported.
Addressing a rally during TMC Chhatra Parishad (student wing) foundation day celebrations, Mamata said, "The BJP is branding everybody as thieves. They are campaigning in a way as if all of us in the TMC are thieves and only the BJP and its leaders are holy. Had I not been in politics, I would have torn out their tongues."
Vowing to defeat BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the TMC supremo said state governments run by parties that are opposed to the saffron camp were being dislodged using central agencies and "ill-gotten money of the BJP".
With former minister Partha Chatterjee and senior leader Anubrata Mondal being arrested in corruption cases, Banerjee apprehended that Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim might be arrested soon.
"If he is arrested, you can rest assured it will be a fake case, just to harass him," PTI quoted Banerjee as saying.
"They (BJP) are talking about the money with TMC leaders. From where is the BJP getting thousand of crores to dislodge elected state governments in line of the Maharashtra model. The BJP is parking money abroad through hawala. The BJP has to be defeated in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," she further said.
Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mondal have been arrested by the ED and CBI in the SSC teacher recruitment case and cattle smuggling case respectively.
"The case (arrest of Partha Chatterjee in SSC scam) is sub-judice. Nothing proven yet. Media trial is going on. BJP is scaring media, judiciary, political parties, using Pegasus to take away people's freedom, using ED and CBI to loot money from people's houses," the TMC chief stressed.
Referring to the recent incident of the alleged rape of a woman at the India-Bangladesh border by BSF jawans, she wondered whether such an incident happened due to the Centre's decision to broaden the paramilitary force's jurisdiction from 15km to 50km in bordering areas.
"The BJP talks about 'Beti Bachao' and 'Beti Padhao' and its government released those involved in Bilkis Bano case. Is this justice? We will organise 48-hour long dharna in Kolkata to press for action against the accused," the Bengal CM said.