Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee Wednesday said that his party would field only those candidates who are liked by the public in the upcoming panchayat elections. He also targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for trying to “hide its failures” by “indulging in politics over the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and religion”. Addressing a rally in the Onda area of Bankura district, Banerjee said, “In the upcoming panchayat elections, it is the people who will decide their candidates. No matter how big a leader is, if they are not liked by the people of the region, TMC won't give them tickets.The next elections in West Bengal will be fought on people-centric issues, and not on topics related to religion or caste.” Criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre, he said the TMC didn't discriminate over political affiliations when it comes to development. “BJP MP from Bishnupur Saumitra Khan and Union Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar haven't even fought for people's rights. The people of Bankura and Bishnupur regret having voted for the BJP in the last elections and are here today to rectify the error they made. Residents of Bankura have realised that only TMC can fight for people’s rights,” said the Diamond Harbour MP. “The people of Bankura voted for issues like the Balakot strikes, caste and religion in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Look where you have ended up. Today, people have lost their say, their elected MPs from BJP are nowhere to be seen,” he said. He also hit out at the Centre for withholding the state's share of dues for welfare schemes. “Across Bengal, over 20 lakh families are being harassed because the Centre is not giving them their wages. The people should think about these issues before voting in the upcoming panchayat polls. Think about the 20 lakh families in Bengal who have been suffering because of BJP’s apathy. Bengal is the only state that is suffering because the people here didn’t vote for BJP in the 2021 Assembly elections,” he added. “BJP wants to indulge in the politics of religion to hide its failures. Will politics over religion help to satisfy the hunger of the poor people, who are reeling under the rise in the prices of essentials and cooking gas? The answer is no. “Politics over religion and Ram Mandir is a ploy by BJP to divert attention from the failures of its government at the Centre,” he said addressing a rally at Onda in Bankura. Talking about the Mamata Banerjee-led government's achievements, the TMC MP said, “TMC's Duare Sarkar initiative has changed people's lives in Bengal. The ease with which government services are being provided to you is remarkable and unique. Remember the Bankura of 10 years back, there were murders, riots, violence, arson and bandhs during the Left Front regime. Things have changed now.” -With PTI inputs
