Lok Sabha elections 2024: Speaking lies do not suit a Prime Minister, says Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee. File pic

Amid ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2024, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday saying that it does not suit a Prime Minister to speak so many lies, reported news agency ANI.

"Prime Minister is continuously speaking lies. This does not suit a Prime Minister, it does not look good. His thinking is narrow. I don't believe that just because he says lies I have to speak lies too," Banerjee said speaking at a public rally at West Bengal's Malda on Sunday, reported ANI.

The Chief Minister said that no political party was born in India that has as many thieves as the BJP.

"BJP is a big jumlabaaz and conspirator. Such a party full of thieves has not come up in India ever. Whoever has lots of money has joined the BJP. If they don't join, they will be harassed by the CBI or Income Tax, or NIA or NSG," Banerjee said, reported ANI.

Slamming the BJP for not paying money for MGNREGA scheme, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo pointed out that her state government has paid the money.

"On the other hand, those poor who have worked for 100 days have not received any money. Have you received any money from the Panchayat? Job card holders who worked for 100 days have not been paid for three years...We launched a movement in Delhi. Neither the Prime Minister nor his thieves, his panchayat, panchayat samiti, nor MLA paid the money. We have paid the money," the Chief Minister said, reported ANI.

Banerjee even promised to implement a 50-day employment program for job card holders "directly."

"In future, we will run a 50-day employment programme for job card holders, not through these people (BJP), but directly," she said.

Lambasting the BJP for claiming that the TMC engaged in thefts in West Bengal, Banerjee challenged the Prime Minister to bring on the track records of other NDA-ruled states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and tally them with Bengal's, reported ANI.

"They (BJP) are saying that since TMC engaged in thefts they did not pay. If you have the courage and if you have 56 inch chest prove it. Bring the track records of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal," Banerjee said, reported ANI.

The TMC chief claimed that BJP stopped funds for MGNREGA since they won from the Malda Uttar constituency.

"You have sent 350 committees here. We have furnished whatever reports you wanted. We have cleared everything. Even then, you have stopped 100-days work in West Bengal. This is because they won. After winning, they did these," she said, reported ANI.

BJP's Khagen Murmu defeated TMC's Mausam Noor with a margin of 84,288 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha seats.

Slamming the BJP for its much-improved performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Banerjee said, "They stopped paying money for work on road construction. This is because they got 18 seats in 2019. They thought themselves to be big shots."

In an attack on the BJP for allegedly starting a ration programme in West Bengal in which the Prime Minister's photo and party symbol will be affixed to the ration distributed, the Chief Minister said that she denied implementing it in the state.

"They (BJP) have started a rice program before elections. They are saying that even if someone has to take a 2 kg ration. They said that there will be the photo of the Prime Minister and BJP logo on it. We did not allow it. If they want to give the logo of West Bengal government we have no problem as we give more money. But if you think that you will be taking everything by force, remember that the day people stop supporting you you will understand that people have true power," Banerjee said, reported ANI.

Malda Uttar will be voting in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 on May 7.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) won 22 seats, while the BJP won 18 seats. Congress emerged victorious in two seats.

(With inputs from ANI)