West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has used the local snack jhalmuri as a springboard to launch her most aggressive national campaign yet amid state elections in which her Trinamool Congress (TMC) party is facing off against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
As the country moves through a tense election cycle,… The West Bengal Chief Minister on Friday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling party over their ‘Jalmori’ election campaign, calling it a theatrical stunt and a political stunt.
“They had equipped the security with TV cameras and CCTV cameras earlier. They had set up Jalmori from home for security concerns and gave $“10 to the shopkeeper,” she said at an election rally in Boobazar.
She also criticized the arrangements made during the Prime Minister’s visit, referring to the installation of surveillance cameras in the store.
“I will give bilpuri from Delhi”
“They said they will eat jhalmuri if they win, but I say I will give you bhilpuri from Delhi,” Mamata Banerjee said.
“First, show up.”She added: “Shai loyalty, and now they are showing Jal Muri to win the elections.”
The Prime Minister accused the BJP of trying to polarize culture and identity. She added, “We are used to eating spicy jalmuri, but have you ever tried fish and chicken curry? I eat dhokla, I eat dosa, I eat litti, I eat thikwa, I eat sattu. I eat vermicelli during Eid, and I eat sweets. Don’t teach me religion.”
Modi’s “Gilmori” statements.
Banerjee’s statements come amid heated exchanges with Modi, who had earlier used the phrase “jhalmuri” at a rally, said it had destabilized the ruling party and targeted the TMC over issues of governance and citizenship.
“You should wave the BJP-NDA victory flag with all might. On May 4, the BJP’s victory will also be celebrated in Bengal. Sweets will also be distributed. Jhalmuri will also be distributed. Jhalmuri also gave a resounding shock to some people. I ate jhal muri, but jhal (spice) infected TMC,” Modi said at a rally in Krishnanagar.
Mamata vows to invade Delhi
Mamata Banerjee on Thursday also announced her intention to challenge the BJP at the national level. “I will conquer Delhi… I will do it by rallying all the political parties together… What I want is the complete dismantling of the BJP in Delhi,” she said at a rally in Chowringhi.
“I have written down the names of everyone working as a mediator for the BJP, from A to Z, including the location of each of their houses,” she said.
“You do not have the power to defeat us… I will invade Delhi, rest assured of that, as soon as I get security victory in Bengal, and I will do so by rallying all political parties together. I do not covet a seat of power. What I want is the complete dismantling of the BJP in Delhi. While their destruction in Bengal is inevitable, the BJP must be expelled from Delhi as well.
Did they repair the EVMs?
It also raised questions about the alleged misuse of technology in opinion polls. Speaking about the upcoming second phase of the Lok Sabha elections and the first phase that concluded on April 23, the Prime Minister asked: “Have they fixed the electronic voting machines (EVMs)? How else can they be so confident about the elections?” She said.
In phase 2 of In the West Bengal Assembly elections, 142 assembly constituencies will go to polls on April 29.
