West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee protesting against the Centre's Land Bill in Kolkata on 8 April, 2015 (Press Trust of India)
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the midst of a three-nation foreign trip, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today questioned his frequent foreign visits and suggested that he must first know his country and its people.
"He is presiding over 'acche Sarkar', but such is the instance of Acche Sarkar that in nine months, he has made 11 foreign trips. I don't have any problem with his foreign trips. But most of the time if he is in a foreign country, who will look after the country?" she said.
"You have to first know the entire country. He is not interested in it," she told a civic poll rally in Kolkata.
Ms Banerjee also accused PM Modi of lying about the land bill and trying to misguide the nation and the farmer community.
"When we had protested against the land bill, he said, they had done so much for the farmers. All lies. They are only changing names of the projects and giving indulgence to communal violence between communities," Ms Banerjee said.
Ms Banerjee also accused the BJP of misusing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in order to malign her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) ahead of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls.
"The BJP is using the CBI in order to malign the TMC ahead of the KMC polls. How can CBI work under the instructions of BJP? The government is different and the party which is in power is different," she said.
"The CBI is under PMO. Hope that Prime Minister has not entrusted his party to look after this department. Has He? If he has not given then how can BJP decide what BJP will do and what not," she said.
Ms Banerjee also pointed at the discrepancy between the statements of state BJP leadership and the party's central leadership.
"A state government speaks to the central government. This is the rule in federal structure. But now a party is saying that Union Home Minister has said that he will send forces. The Centre is saying one thing and the party is saying something different. They are doing whatever they like," Ms Banerjee said.
Recently, the state BJP leadership has requested Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to send central forces for the civic election and stated that the Union Home Minister has promised to send forces.
Ms Banerjee lashed out at both the BJP and the CPI(M) for trying to destroy the peaceful condition of the state.
"CPI(M) should not talk much. What have they done during their tenure in power? They have physically eliminated every opposition that they faced. They never allowed free and fair polls. Now they are crying foul over violence. We have ensured a peaceful atmosphere," she said.
The chief minister criticised the infighting and street fight in the BJP over the ticket distribution.
"BJP is such a party which can't stay together. I have never seen a political party fighting street battles over ticket distribution. They had to hire musclemen from Howrah to keep their party office immune from any kind of protest. They can't take care of their party they are dreaming big," Ms Banerjee said.
In another meeting, Ms Banerjee called for the regional parties of the country to unite to drive away the BJP.
She said, "Before the 2019 elections I can show them how to take away Delhi. I want the regional parties to unite and drive away BJP from the country... I do not want anything. I will be there as a worker but they must unite to drive away BJP from the country."
From now on her only aim would be to fight against the BJP and the CPI-M, she said.
"In 2016 people of West Bengal will answer them... We will answer them politically and they will have to pack up from Bengal and leave," she said.