Country will be better off without BJP, says Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday claimed saffronisation of all important offices in the country, "from the Raj Bhavan to the Prime Minister's office".

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo raised the slogan "BJP Bharat chhodo," (BJP, leave India), claiming that the country would be "better off without the saffron party".

"From the Raj Bhavan to the PM's office, the saffron party has put up its signboard at all important offices," she said at a public rally here.

Stating that the TMC will play an "important" role in the next Lok Sabha elections, Banerjee said several opposition parties have confirmed their participation in her party's scheduled rally in January.

"Leaders such as Chandrababu Naidu, Hardik Patel, Tejaswi Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, M K Stalin, Farooq Abdullah and Arvind Kejriwal have confirmed their participation at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground rally in January," she said.

The chief minister also resolved to open new fronts in her turf war with the saffron party by fielding candidates in neighbouring states.

The TMC has decided to fight Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the BJP-ruled states of Assam and Jharkhand, she



said.

"Assam has been witnessing anti-Bengali movements by some sections. I want my party men to start people-to-people contact in its districts neighbouring Bengal. The TMC will also field candidates in some constituencies of Odisha," she said.

Iterating that her government has always doled out benefits for uplifting the marginalised sections, Banerjee said her party will always stand by the tribal people of Jharkhand if and when "atrocities were meted out to them".

The TMC chief also asserted that the BJP, which won two seats in West Bengal in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, will fail to bag a single seat in the state in the next elections.

Talking about the ongoing Madhya Pradesh elections, the second phase of which was being held Wednesday, the CM said complaints of EVM glitches have affected the poll process in the central state.

"The Election Commission must take responsibility to ensure that these EVM machines function properly," Banerjee said.

The CM also alleged that the saffron party was trying to make inroads into Bengal, with help from the CPI(M).

"The CPI(M) cadre have changed their colours to work for the BJP. They are saffron outside and red inside," she added.