West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday called the BJP 'Dushasana' that has "devastated the country by selling the LIC and SBI" and urged all political parties to unite to oust the saffron party from power in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, PTI reported.
Banerjee, who is staging a two-day sit-in to protest the Centre's alleged discriminatory attitude against Bengal, said the 2024 polls would be a fight between "common people and BJP".
"Every political party in India must unite to oust this BJP government. Remove 'Dushasana' BJP and save the common man of the country and Indian democracy," she said.
The TMC supremo said people from all religions -- Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Parsi -- must unite to defeat the saffron party to save Indian democracy.
Earlier in the day, Banerjee started her dharna around noon in front of Dr BR Ambedkar's statue on Red Road in Kolkata to protest against the Centre's alleged "stoppage" of funds to the state for MGNREGA and other schemes of the housing and road departments.
The TMC supremo said the demonstration was to "save India, save democracy".
READ | Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Stages 'Washing Machine Protest' Against BJP: WATCH
"People were asking me whether I am demonstrating on behalf of the state government or the Trinamool Congress. I would like to tell them that I have two responsibilities. I am the CM of West Bengal and also the TMC chairperson. So, as a chief minister when I see the people of my state suffer, it's my responsibility to look into that," PTI quoted Banerjee as saying.
During her protest, Banerjee was accompanied by senior party leaders Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Subrata Bakshi, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay and Chandrima Bhattacharya.
"I am doing double duty. We have several ministers of the state government here. But unlike the BJP, I am not using my government's funds (to stage this demonstration)," she said.
"You can see that we have kept a copy of the Constitution' here. So, we must remember that the copy is kept here by those who have respect for it, the democracy and secularism of the nation... From here, I will give a call for 'save India, save democracy'," the Bengal CM, one of the fiercest crictics of PM Narendra Modi, further said.
During the protest, the CM was also seen using a washing machine with a BJP banner. Banerjee was seen putting in a black cloth into the washing machine and pulling out a white cloth as her supporters shouted slogans of "washing machine BJP".
This was a symbolic representation of the Opposition's claims of the BJP misusing central investigative agencies to intimidate their leaders into joining the saffron party and later dropping the charges when they joined the BJP.