Trinamool Chairperson Mamata Banerjee today kicked-off her campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, by addressing a public meeting organised by N. Chandrababu Naidu at Visakhapatnam.
In her speech, she challenged the Prime Minister to an open debate. Slamming Narendra Modi for not addressing a single press conference in the last five years, she said, in the open debate they will pose questions to each other and there would be no teleprompters.
Highlights of her speech:
- This election is significant. You must vote wisely. We have to fight for the country
- It is unfortunate that Narendra Modi has become the Prime Minister. He and his party president are targeting and intimidating all Opposition leaders
- In the previous election, they won people’s trust on the plank of ‘chaiwallah’. Now they have become ‘chowkidar’
- They are not people’s chowkidar. They are chowkidar of demonetisation, chowkidar of loot and chowkidar of lies
- So many jawans have lost their lives. Terrorism has increased in his tenure. Farmers are committing suicide. Unemployment is at 45 year high
- The PM has not addressed a single press conference in the last five years. They are afraid to face the media
- Even while giving speeches, the PM needs teleprompters. And he always tells lies
- The leader of the country must be like Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Azad, Ambedkar, Netaji, Rajendra Prasad and other stalwarts
- He cannot even become block leader and he aspires to become the leader of the nation
- BJP party headquarter resembles a shopping mall
- After the Pulwama attack, why did the PM not address any all-party meeting?
- The country is burning. They are killing people in the name of gau-raksha
- We do not want Modi because we do not want unemployment.
- We do not want Modi because we do not want riots.
- We do not want Modi because we want communal harmony
- Who will become the Prime Minister, will be decided after the elections.
- We serve the people 365 days a year
- I challenge Modi to an open debate. I am ready to fight against him politically. Let him pose question for me, I will reply. I will ask him questions and he has to reply. There will be no teleprompters
- Modi cannot come back to power with the help of select-few media channels
- If we have to save the country, Modi must be defeated
- They are not allowing State Governments to function.
- They are destroying the Constitution. The independence of the institutions is under attack
- If Modi and Amit Shah come back to power, the country will not remain the same anymore. We will lose all our freedom
- We will work together to form a people’s government at Centre