Announcing the list of TMC candidates at a mega rally at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, Banerjee said, “Our party will contest outside West Bengal as well. We will field candidates in Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh also.”
The TMC has fielded former cricketer Yusuf Pathan from Baharampur, known to be a bastion of Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who has been critical of the state government. It also fielded Mahua Moitra from her Krishnanagar seat, signaling that she has retained the faith of the TMC leadership despite her expulsion from the Lok Sabha over the cash-for-query allegations in December last year.
Sharpening the attack on the BJP, Banerjee highlighted two recent incidents – one in her state and the other in Delhi – to accuse its leaders of stereotyping people and spreading communal hatred.
Referring to the incident on February 20 in which a Sikh IPS officer who stopped BJP leaders from marching to Sandeshkhali was called a “Khalistani”, the Chief Minister said: “Those who wear turbans, BJP leaders call them Khalistanis while Muslims are called Pakistanis.”
“Two-three days ago, our Muslim brothers offering prayers were kicked by a Delhi Police officer,” she said, referring to the March 8 incident in north Delhi in which a Sub-Inspector was purportedly caught on tape kicking and pushing some men offering Friday prayers outside a mosque apparently to remove them from the area. He was later suspended.
She also targeted the BJP government at the Centre, reiterating that her party will not let it implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). “Before election they said CAA would be implemented but we will not let them implement the CAA or NRC,” Banerjee said.
“They have plans to send you to the other side of the border but we will give you shelter. We will not let them do it here in Bengal,” she said.
Accusing the Centre of “step-motherly attitude” towards Bengal, she accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying during his recent election campaign in Bengal. “The Prime Minister should check the facts before saying anything in Bengal,” she said.
“After winning 18 seats in the last Lok Sabha election…, the BJP commenced their atrocities on the people of Bengal. They go to Delhi and ask to stop funds for the people of Bengal,” she alleged.
Targeting former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who recently resigned to join the BJP, she said, “The judiciary should not sit in the BJP’s chair and deliver verdicts. Though I have huge respect for the judiciary, this is not done. Now you can see the mask and the face. How he is bowing down.”
Although she did not mention the Sandheskhali row, in which her party’s local leaders have been accused of sexual harassment, the Chief Minister raised the Manipur unrest issue. “When women were paraded naked on the streets of Manipur, what did the BJP do to stop it? How many teams were sent to Manipur?”
Incidentally, the TMC has dropped actor Nusrat Jehan, its MP from Basirhat constituency, under which Sandeshkhali falls, and nominated former MP Haji Nurul Islam in her place.
The party has dropped five sitting MPs, including Nusrat Jahan, actor Mimi Chakraborty and party strongman and Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh, who returned from the BJP last year.
Among those retained are actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha from Asansol and Sougata Roy from Dumdum.