‘Will remove BJP from Centre if I live’: Mamata Banerjee at her 1st rally since poll defeat

By: Satavisha Dutta

KOLKATA: Leading her first protest on the streets of Kolkata since her party's defeat in the assembly election, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday, "If I survive, I will remove BJP from office in Centre."

Accusing Centre of orchestrating a "conspiracy" to break TMC and to stop her since the election, Banerjee took aim at PM Narendra Modi, saying: "See who you have given responsibility to. See what is happening in Bengal." She also indicated that she would join hands with all anti-BJP parties in the country to "topple BJP-led central govt."

Around 2pm on Tuesday, Banerjee left her Kalighat residence and first went to Red Road where she laid a wreath at the statue of BR Ambedkar. Then she moved straight to the party's protest stage at the Y Channel.

Protesting against post-poll violence and the new govt's bulldozer drive that, she alleged, threw many poor people out of employment, Banerjee said, "Today's protest is to save life and livelihood. I am always with you in your bad times, even if not in good times."

Criticising police for not granting her party permission for a protest at Rani Rashmoni Avenue on Monday, Banerjee alleged, "We were not even given permission to use loudspeakers here. I will sit wherever I can. Did they manage to stop me from laying a wreath at Ambedkar's statue? I took an oath at Mahatma Gandhi's statue, as long as this oppression continues, I will fight it."

At the protest site, Banerjee was flanked by TMC netas like Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, Madan Mitra, Nayna Bandyopadhyay, Kalyan Banerjee, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Kunal Ghosh.

Cops and CAPF personnel were deployed at the protest site and Banerjee alleged that she had to make way for the venue by removing barricades. Spotting cops trying to dissuade party workers from entering the venue, she told the police, "Let them enter. Otherwise, we will surround Lalbazar." She added, "I am not blaming police. They listen to what the chair tells them to do."

Raising the issue of the attack on TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday, Banerjee said "It was a narrow lane. If he hadn't worn a helmet, that piece of rock would have hit his head. When we took the patient... hospital asked for permission from the CEO. Cops threatened them."