‘Will fight like a tiger cub’

“They have little idea what Bengal could achieve. Bengal will lead the way in the fight against these alleged anti-people policies,” the Trinamool chief said as she exhorted Bengali pride by invoking the name of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose,Najrul Islam and Rabindranath Tagore.

She was at Gaighata,70 kms from Kolkata,to mark the foundation stone laying ceremony of a government college and was accompanied by Binapani Devi,the head of the politically significant Matua sect.

“We were deceived by the central government. They issued the notification on the FDI late Thursday night. It is a dangerous attempt. It is unethical and immoral. Under no circumstances shall we allow FDI in retail.I exhort my mothers and sisters to put up fierce resistance against it,’’ said Mamata amidst thunderous uproar from the audience mainly comprising people from nearby villages.

Referring to the capping of subsidised LPG cylinders to six a year,Mamata said,“Your kitchen will be on fire,will you tolerate it?” she said adding “those who have decided it must be importing their food from abroad”.

“The Centre gives this subsidy from the money gathered from the taxes collected from the states. It’s not their own money. They have a host of programmes named after their leaders. They are trying to deprive us of our food. Our Abdul or Bina will not eat,instead Obaba or Okaka or Ochacha will come here.”

With the fact dawning on her that the Centre may not be keen to heed to her demand on financial package anymore,she said: “We don’t want alms. Bengal can stand on its own… I don’t have money power or muscle power but I have man power which is my strength.’’

She said that despite financial woes faced by her government,she has announced several welfare programmes for the poor in the state.