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Journalism of Courage
A day after attending the Opposition INDIA bloc meeting in Mumbai, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday kept his attack focused on the BJP as he campaigned for the party in Dhupguri in Jalpaiguri district where by-elections will be held on September 5.
Without uttering a single word against the CPI(M) and the Congress — members of the INDIA bloc — Banerjee, in his half-an-hour-long speech, hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that a united Opposition will defeat the BJP in the next Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for early next year.
Referring to the reduction of LPG gas price cylinders by Rs 200, Banerjee said: “The BJP is losing everywhere now. They will lose in all the five by-elections slated later this year. And seeing that, the price of (LPG) gas has been reduced by 200 rupees. It is said to be a rakhi gift. I want to ask the prime minister, does rakhi come once in five years?”
“Remember, after the BJP lost in Bengal, diesel-petrol prices fell by Rs 5. If BJP wins in 2024, the price of gas will be Rs 3,000. If INDIA wins, gas will be available at Rs 500,” he added.
“If you vote for “jora ful” (the election symbol of TMC), the pride of the prime minister will be crushed. Modi thinks there is a remote control. But you have EVMs. Explain how EVM is more powerful than a remote control,” the Number 2 leader in the TMC said.
Stressing on local issues, Abhishek promised that Dhupguri block will be declared a subdivision by the end of this year. He also assured that Dhupguri government hospital will be upgraded to a sub-divisional level hospital by installing advanced equipment.
“BJP leaders will try to buy your votes by giving money. If they distribute money, you take it money but give vote to the TMC,” the TMC MP from Dumdum said.
Notably, he stayed away from criticising the CPI(M) and the Congress. On Friday, senior CPI(M) and Congress leaders, while campaigning in Dhupgiri had attacked both the ruling TMC and BJP.
Congress state unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and CPI(M) state secretary Mohd Salim in a joint rally accused the BJP and the TMC of “exploiting people”.
“Didi (TMC chief Mamata Banerjee) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are both exploiting us. The people of Bengal will judge and decide,” the Congress leader said on Friday even as the meeting of the INDIA bloc was underway in Mumbai where Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee were holding talks with Congress leadership and other members of the united Opposition alliance.
The Dhupguri bypoll was necessitated due to the death of former BJP MLA Bishnu Pada Ray on July 25. In the triangular contest, the Congress is backing CPI(M)’s Ishwar Chandra Roy, a popular folk artist, while the ruling TMC has fielded Nirmal Chandra Roy, a professor at a local girls’ college. The BJP, on the other hand, has fielded Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan who was killed in a 2021 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
