Published 18:06 IST, January 19th 2021
Mamata Banerjee threatens 'Will send people disturb BJP meetings" amid TMC-BJP clashes
Lashing out at the BJP, Trinamool chief & Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday, threatened that she will 'send her people to disrupt BJP and CPM's meetings'.
Lashing out at the BJP, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday, threatened that she will 'send her people to disrupt BJP and CPM's meetings'. Banerjee alleged that several TMC meetings were being disrupted by BJP cadres. Recently BJP and TMC cadres clashed violently in Midnapore, Howrah, Khejuri at various BJP leaders' roadshows.
Mamata: "Will disrupt BJP meetings"
Stirring a controversy, she urged people to take 'money for votes' saying, "A Dalit family said that we fed them (BJP leaders arriving at their house) from our pocket, how can we pay the amount? I will tell my workers that when you see something like that, then pay them. If anyone gives you money for votes, take the money."
TMC-BJP clashes
On Monday, TMC and BJP cadres indulged in stone-pelting at a roadshow attended by Dilip Ghosh, Suvendu Adhikari, Kailash Vijaywargiya etc in South Kolkata. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, BJP alleged that TMC goons threw stones at a Medinipur rally - injuring several workers. BJP has consistently lashed out at the TMC for 'political killings' claiming that 300 BJP workers have been killed in the past by alleged TMC goons. JP Nadda's convoy too was attacked by stone pelters in Kolkata, leading to a huge standoff between Mamata and Central government.
Intensifying the battle for Bengal, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday, announced that she will contest from Nandigram in the upcoming state polls. She suggested that she may contest from both Bhawanipore and Nandigram, setting up a direct faceoff with her ex-confidante Suvendu Adhikari. . The ex-Nandigram MLA was the mastermind of the 2007 Nandigram agitation - responded, "I will leave politics if I fail to defeat her by half a lakh votes".
BJP's Bengal push
The saffron party is gearing for a tough battle in Bengal - aiming to attain more than 200 seats, while not fielding a CM face yet. The BJP had already politically divided Bengal into five parts - North Bengal, Rath Bang (South Western District), Nabadwip, Medinipur and Kolkata, handpicking Shivprakash, Sunil Deodhar, Dushyant Gautam, Bhikubhai Dalsania, Ravindra Raju, Vinod Sonkar, Harish Dwivedi to ta work on booth levels in these regions. With over 65,000 booth committees and 14,000 Shakti Kendra constituted, the BJP has appointed five veterans as central observers - with the final call to be taken by Amit Shah. Trinamool currently holds 222 seats in the 294-seat assembly.
Updated 18:16 IST, January 19th 2021