Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee addressed a public meeting today at the Gopalnagar Haripada Institution in Bongaon.
Highlights from his speech:
I begin by congratulating all the leaders who have come here, and the people, for coming here by the thousands, in spite of the heat. Since you have come here in this weather, it can be safely assumed that you have already decided in your minds to uproot the BJP from Bangla, and make Trinamool Congress win.
Mamatabala Thakur is standing from here once again, and I request everyone to help in re-electing her to the Lok Sabha.
Today is Annapurna Puja, and my best wishes are with everyone.
The voting here is on May 6. We can campaign till May 4. Therefore our campaign will continue for the next 20 days. We have to ensure the BJP does not get even a toehold here.
Remember that the fight this time is neither against the CPI(M) nor the Congress; it is between Agnikanya Didi and the communal Modi.
Decide whether you are with Mamata Banerjee or the communal BJP – your votes will determine this.
In the 2016 by-election, the BJP candidate lost, and after that he was never seen doing any work for the people here. But Trinamool is here for all seasons, working tirelessly for the people.
Therefore, vote for ‘Jorahool’ again and help us serve you better.
We help you in every way possible – be it for helping solve any major family problem or calling the fire brigade or ensuring you get your due widow pension or retirement pension or Kanyashree or Yuvashree stipend or Rupashree grant or anything else.
We are with people of all religions – we believes in unity in diversity. Trinamool does not believe in the politics of religion. We are with the people during all their religious celebrations.
The prime minister had come to Thakurnagar a few weeks back, but such was his so-called devotion for the people that he made ‘Harichand Thakur’ into ‘Harishchandra Thakur’ and ‘Matua Samaj’ into ‘Mathua Samaj’.
Mamata Banerjee has done so much for the Matuas – as railway minister, she ensured a railway station at Thakurnagar, and later had a road built till Thakurbari. Recently, she laid the foundation stone of Harichand Guruchand University. We have formed the Namashudra Development Board for the development of the community. We have built in this region superspeciality hospitals, engineering colleges, ITIs, polytechnic colleges, etc.
Our government has bestowed its highest award, the Banga Bibhushan, on Boro Maa. The prime minister met Boro Maa too, but didn’t announce a single award for her.
If we form the government in Delhi, under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, the nation’s highest award will be given to her.
The Central Government has been peddling lies for the last five years.
The prime minister used to call himself a tea-seller, now he calls himself a chowkidar. But nobody has seen him selling tea at any time. Our chief minister, on the other hand, is still her humble self – still living in a small, tile-roofed house, from where she governs the 10 crore people of the State, ensuring the wave of development reaches every one of them.
Trinamool Congress has carried bouquets of development to every corner of the State.
Real Hinduism does not teach divisiveness – rather, it teaches us to have confidence in its basic goodness while at the same time, have respect for the beliefs of other people in their own religions.
We believe in the Hinduism taught to us by Swami Vivekananda, not by Yogi Adityanath.
The BJP has tried to insult Bangla again and again. Not a single paisa has been spent for the development of the State. Mamata Banerjee, on the other hand, despite having to repay the debt accumulated through the loans taken by the CPI(M) government, has spent so much for the State, without imposing a single extra rupee as tax.
The prime minister had promised you all ‘Achhe Din’. I will give you examples of ‘Achhe Din’: price of cooking gas going up from Rs 400 per cylinder to Rs 750, kerosene from Rs 15 per litre to Rs 32, from a 3 per cent tax to 28 per cent GST.
The BJP has realised that misleading people from behind the façade of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ chants is no longer working.
Bangla is the land of revolts, of protests, of the biggest leaders of the Independence Movement, of the July 21 protest, of Netai, of Nandigram, of Dhantala-Bantala.
Nobody could repress us to submission, and nobody will be able to now.
They are envious of even the name, ‘Bangla’, and that is why for the last two years, they have refused to pass the order for changing the name of the State.
Despite the State Government providing 40 per cent of the funds, the Centre wanted the name of the scheme to be ‘Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana’. We could have asked form ‘Mukhya Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana’. But we asked only for what was just, that the scheme be named ‘Bangla Gram Sadak Yojana’. They refused. So we unilaterally changed the name and are therefore providing the full funding too.
They are getting scared of our State, Bangla; therefore, throw them out democratically, with the help of your votes.
I had earlier mentioned about the prices going up. The prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas, and GST rates, had gone up large amounts. But over the last few months, as the BJP lost elections in five States, the prices came down.
It is for you to decide – whether to vote for a party that wants to divide Bengal or for one that will work three times more for the State.
On May 23 the results will be declared, and a new government will be formed in the following few days.
Now, whether you want the price of cooking gas to go up to Rs 2,000 in one go or petrol to Rs 100 or kerosene to Rs 70 – you have the power to decide that through your votes.
To the youth here I say: Modi had said a few days back to vote with the jawans in mind. He is such a shameless prime minister to say this, use jawans for electoral politics, in fact, such a shameless prime minister has never been known till now.
And do you know who is the candidate standing against Modi in Varanasi? None other than a BSF jawan himself, one who had released a video several months back that had gone vial, that had shown the pathetic quality of food the jawans have to eat every day. And he was sacked from his job as a result of the video. This is the kind of welfare Modi has in mind for jawans.
A few days back, the prime minister of Pakistan had said that he wants Modi to be re-elected as prime minister. And Pakistan is supposed to be our enemy. Therefore our enemy wants Modi as the prime minister. Not just him, but the ISI, Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya, dacoits, rioters and smugglers – all want Modi as the prime minister.
He is a prime minister who has told us lie after lie. Have any of you got the Rs 15 lakh in your accounts as he promised? Don’t work, he’s going to lose power after May 23.
We believe in democracy. If we faithfully follow the directions of our leader, Mamata Banerjee, it will be enough to ensure our victory.
The BJP has not sent greetings even once to the people of the State on the occasion of Durga Puja, the biggest festival in the lives of Bengalis. Even on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, the BJP did not send any condolences.
The BJP is only interested in fomenting trouble and creating unrest by chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ everywhere.
Our leader has given the call for winning all 42 out of 42 seats, and we’ll win them.
He has hurt you again and again, by increasing the prices of fuels, by imposing high GST rates; now we will answer him in kind by hurting him badly, when we throw him out of power in Delhi.
Therefore, remember to vote for Mamatabala Thakur because remember that by voting for her, you are actually voting for Mamata Banerjee and helping her go one more step towards forming the government at the Centre – a secular and progressive government.
I ask all the first-time voters to think carefully before you cast your votes – whether to vote for development or destruction, for peace or violence, for preserving the respect of Bangla or for helping form a government in Delhi that will force its decisions down our throats.
I appeal to all of you to cast your votes without fear; go out early in the morning and cast your votes. Vote for Mamatabala Thakur.
In the coming days, a government is going to be formed in Delhi that will ensure development in Bangla three times more than what has been happening till now.
Netaji had once said – give me blood and I will give you freedom; now Mamata Banerjee has given the call to Bangla – give me 42 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats, and I’ll give you a progressive and secular government at the Centre.
2019 – BJP finish; BJP hatao, desh bachao
Bangla has shown the way to ‘poriborton’ and now ‘poriborton’ will come in Delhi too.
