Mamata Banerjee spoke just after Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, who also said the Central Government would fall soon.
“Yeh sarkar kutch din ke mehman hain. Yeh Dilli ki sarkar chalnewali nahi, girnewali hain,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, adding that the BJP government’s fall would usher in happy days.
Echoing Yadav, Banerjee said, “I thank you. I want to congratulate the Samajwadi Party. The game you played in Uttar Pradesh… BJP should have resigned, but it has no shame. You will have to wait a few days. I agree with you that the Government in Delhi, which was brought to power using central agencies and the Election Commission, is not stable. It may fall any day. Enough is enough.”
Banerjee also attacked the CPM and the Congress. “We fought against three parties. I salute the people of this state. The more we win, the softer we need to become,” she said.
“Bengal is the soil of movements. Gandhiji was born in Gujarat but half of his life was spent in Bengal. During British rule, there were three places where an independent government was formed. One is Bengal’s Tamralipta, the other two are Balia (UP) and Satara of Maharashtra. If Bengal was not there, Independence would not have been achieved… The BJP can’t run movements. They can only file PIL petitions. They used to say we could eat 26,000 jobs and we could eat 45,000 jobs. They are trying to end OBC reservation. But we will fight. We have already filed an appeal to the Supreme Court.”
However, throughout her speech, Banerjee stressed the need for transparency in public life. “Ami bittoban chai na, bibekbaan chai (I don’t want the rich; I want morally strong people),” she said.
“Thank the people. Try to complete incomplete work. If you can’t, inform the party. Don’t travel in a car. If possible, walk in your area. It is good for your health. Brain will work better. Don’t travel in a big car. It is better to roam on a scooter or a bicycle. That is why I give bicycles to students under the Sabooj Sathi scheme,” the TMC supremo told her party’s leaders and cadres.
Banerjee added, “Our party is not only a political organisation. It is also a social organisation. Today you may have money. Tomorrow you may not have it. But there is no alternative to standing beside people. If we get any complaints, we will take action… We need friends. If you are such a human, nobody can defeat you. You must not do any wrong things and tolerate any injustice. Give respect to women as well as SC, ST and minority sisters and brothers.”