Kolkata: Trinamool on Friday dubbed BJP’s Sankalp Patra for Bengal a “copycat” manifesto and alleged that the saffron party never delivers on its promises.At a rally in Basirhat, CM Mamata Banerjee asked how many people had received Rs 15 lakh in their bank accounts that PM Modi had promised 12 years ago. “Did anyone get the Rs 15 lakh that was promised? Has BJP forgotten its promise? What about the 2 crore jobs per year that were promised? Was black money issue resolved after demonetisation? What is the cost of LPG, petrol and diesel? Inflation is skyrocketing. Only the value of human life has reduced,” she said.Claiming that BJP “makes tall promises but delivers nothing”, she added, “In Bengal, women will continue to receive the benefits of Lakshmir Bhandar throughout their lives. We don’t lie like BJP. They have blocked our funds. They owe us Rs 2 lakh crore. They only know how to spread lies. They have deleted names of legitimate voters. They want to implement NRC. They want to incite riots. They have deprived Bengal in every possible way. I urge you not to give them a single vote.”TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee claimed BJP’s promises were “like chit funds” that hold no value. Stressing that women here receive Lakshmir Bhandar for life, he asked, “Are you trying to buy the dignity of Bengal’s mothers with money? Do you think their honour and respect can be bought for Rs 3,000?” Pointing out that welfare funds for Bengal had been blocked he said, “If you want to give money to 2 crore 42 lakh women in Bengal, do it directly. No one is stopping you. You don’t respect federal structure. When ED and CBI conduct searches, they don’t inform state police. Then, why do you get stuck when it comes to providing services to people?”Abhishek also accused Union home minister Amit Shah of playing the same cassette in loop on ghuspetiyas (infiltrators). Reacting to Shah’s jibe that Bengal was being controlled from Bangladesh, he asked, “What is Sheikh Hasina (former Bangladesh PM) doing in Delhi for a year and half? Why has Modi govt given her refuge? To save which industrialist? Is Hasina an infiltrator or a refugee, can Amit Shah answer?”On Shah’s promise of introducing Uniform Civil Code in Bengal if BJP comes to office, Abhishek said, “If UCC is implemented, Scheduled Tribes will be the ones most affected. BJP wants to impose changes forcefully. It does not want to bring about positive changes.” On BJP’s plans to create a female police squad named after Goddess Durga, Abhishek reminded BJP that its govt has issued income-tax notices to Durga Puja committees and central agencies like ED and CBI have raided Durga Puja organisers. He added, “Twelve years ago, Modi came to Cooch Behar and said there would be a Narayani Squad. Has it happened?”Referring to BJP’s cash-assistance promise in its manifesto, Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “What Mamata Banerjee thinks today, the rest of India and BJP think tomorrow or even five years later. There was so much slander regarding our Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. They called it begging and insulted our mothers and sisters. When Mamata Banerjee implemented various schemes for women, they criticized her. Later, BJP-ruled states adopted these very schemes. Now, they have even included them in their promises. Why would people accept these copycats, these photocopies? People have the original development of Mamata Banerjee.”
