People have rejected BJP’s arrogance: Mamata on Bengal bypoll win

Kolkata: Accusing the BJP of being synonymous with ‘bad governance and evil’, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said the saffron outfit lost all three seats in the state bypolls as the “people rejected their arrogance”.

“Arrogance of the BJP has been rejected by the people. They have been threatening to bring NRC, drive citizens away and usurp their rights. We are all citizens. Everyone has his or her right. They have been living in this country for so long,” Banerjee said after the Trinamool retained Karimpur and snatched Kaliaganj and Kharagpur Sadar Assembly constituencies from the opposition.

Banerjee said she would personally visit Kalianganj, Karimpur and Kharagpur to thank people for the landslide win.

Attacking the BJP for its divisive politics, she said: “The Constitution was promulgated 70 years ago. We are all voters. All are citizens. This new game plan to divide people, to torture them, has not worked”.

“BJP is synonymous with bad governance and evil. People want to embrace the positive and discard the negative. They have witnessed the BJP’s arrogance in the last few months. The BJP does not even pay the minimum respect to people,” she said.

Banerjee said Bengali-speaking people are being driven away from different states.

“We saw it in Karnataka few days ago. In Kashmir, the hapless workers were killed in cold-blood. When no one stood for them, we offered help. We have given jobs to the families. We are with the people at times of grief,” she said.

Alleging that the CPI(M) and the Congress had an understanding with the BJP in the state, she said “They must understand that it will not do them any good to be with the BJP.”

“They must become self-dependent. We support the Congress at the national level, but here they go along with the BJP. This is sad,” she said.

Banerjee said that the people of the state have given a clear message to the BJP.

“Ek, dui, teen, Bangla theke BJP ke biday din (One, two, three, make Bengal BJP free),” she said.

Banerjee said the minorities and the Rajbanshis have voted for the Trinamool in Kaliaganj.

“During Lok Sabha elections, they were misguided by certain sections and so they voted against us. Minorities, SC/ST, Adivasi, people of all communities voted for us.”

She said the party also got the backing of the non-Bengali speaking people in Kharagpur.

IANS