Game for 2024 will start from Bengal: Mamata , Party chief cautions leaders

Our prerogative is to generate employment, and theirs is to ruin the employment.

 MP  |  9 Sept 2022 | KOLKATA: Daring the BJP that the 'khela' (game) for 2024 Lok Sabha elections would be set up in Bengal, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she, along with the leaders (Chief Ministers) of other neighbouring states, would come together to oust the saffron party from the Centre. 

Claiming that about four lakh traders and industrialists had already left the country after the BJP came to power, Banerjee told her workers that there would be only one slogan — 'We don't need BJP's agencies, we want jobs.' 

"Our prerogative is to generate employment, and theirs is to ruin the employment. They (BJP) are reducing job opportunities," she told her party workers at a special meeting at Netaji Indoor Stadium on Thursday. Urging her party workers and leaders to gear up for a fight against the BJP, Banerjee claimed that she had the support of leaders from the neighbouring states. 

"….We are together now. There is Nitish ji, there is Akhilesh, there is Hemant, I am there and there are our friends. We are everywhere. Everyone will unite. There are around 100 seats in these states. How will they (BJP) form the government? We want a people's government and a 'janata darbar'," said Banerjee. "They are proud of having 275-280 seats... remember Rajiv Gandhi had 400, still he couldn't keep it intact…," she added. 

"They tried to topple the government by offering Rs 10 crore to every MLA. I caught them red-handed. We saved Jharkhand. 'Khela hobey'! We will conduct the Panchayat polls peacefully and then — just watch how we play the game for 2024 elections," she added. "I wonder why they (BJP) are so jealous of me and why they conspire against Bengal," she said, adding: "They did not allow me to go to Chicago to attend a programme on Swami Vivekananda. They stopped me from addressing the students of St. Stephen's College. 

In 2023, I have been invited to receive the International Travel Award presented by Pacific Area Travel Writers' Association." Coming down heavily on the BJP, Banerjee said the party survives only on lies and conspiracies. 

"They spread lies faster than the bullet train," she remarked. "The ED and the CBI are not sent to interrogate those involved in corruption worth crores of rupees. They have helped people to dupe banks and flee the country," she said. The TMC chief also added: "I will be happy if the Central agencies are sent to the houses of Trinamool leaders more frequently. The more pressure they put on us, the stronger we will grow. They did not know we had fought against the CPI(M) and dislodged them. They cannot assess our strength." She wondered why not a single line had been mentioned on the amount received for the PM Cares fund. Criticising a section of the print and electronic media, she said: "It is unfortunate that some media houses are spreading lies in the form of news. They have let loose one against the other and even wrote about the differences between me and Abhishek. They do it just to increase their TRPs but fail to understand that people will reject them. In the name of source, they actually speak volumes of lies." 

Banerjee said 10,000 youth — who had completed training on skill development — would get jobs. Altogether 30,000 young minds — who had received training to improve their skills — would get employment. Banerjee asked the party leaders to do the necessary corrections and include new names in the voters' list, the process for which would start on November 11.

She asked the MPs and MLAs to give money allocated under MPLAD and MLALAD to construct houses under the Bangla Abas Yojona and Bangla Gram Sadak Yojana as the Centre has stopped releasing funds. Banerjee said she would go to East Midnapore to hold an administrative review meeting. She will name the president of the Sabadhipati of the Zilla Parishad there. The post had been lying vacant after the previous Sabadhipati died. She cautioned the party leaders not to get involved in any kind of corruption like filling up of water bodies. 

"I have received some complaints. Do not do it. Some are not listening. One fine morning, you will find that your name has been dropped from the party," she cautioned her partymen. Veteran party leaders, including Saugata Roy, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Kalyan Banerjee, Shashi Panja and Chandrima Bhattacharya also spoke at the meeting.

http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/game-for-2024-will-start-from-bengal-mamata-492419