Kamal Ghorui
KOLKATA: Claiming the high phase-one turnout as a decisive mandate against both BJP and SIR, CM Mamata Banerjee on Friday predicted that the party would not win even half the 77 seats it held after 2021 — and warned it would be dislodged from Delhi as well.“Yesterday in rural Bengal, 93% were against you, Modi-babu, because of the atrocities committed in the name of SIR. Nearly 300 people have died; even yesterday, four people died in the voting line,” she said at a public meeting in Howrah.Banerjee argued that the overwhelming turnout in districts like South Dinajpur and Cooch Behar — despite the deletion of lakhs of names — proved that voters had rejected the central govt. “The places where we were lagging, yesterday we moved ahead. BJP will lose in many seats,” she said, declaring Trinamool had already “sealed” its victory across the 152 phase-one constituencies.Turning on Amit Shah, she said: “Out of desperation, Amit-babu had to hold a meeting with the administration today. You are trying to scare everyone — but after May 4, you won’t find anyone.”She accused BJP of planning further “atrocities” to suppress turnout in phase two. “Seeing 93%, they are saying they must be stricter now. But people have voted in such large numbers to protect their rights — you will feel the consequences.”Banerjee also hit back at BJP’s claims about law and order. “Before thinking about governing Bengal, focus on Manipur — it’s burning. And does it sound respectable for a home minister to say he will hang people upside down and thrash them?”She invoked Bihar as a cautionary tale. “They used Nitish Kumar for political gains and then removed him. That is the character of BJP,” she said.Responding to remarks that Kolkata had become a “city of slums,” she said: “A city is made of both rich and poor people. Kolkata is the top-ranked city in India — an industrial and tourism destination. Unesco has recognised our Durga Puja. What have you got?”“No matter how much you attack, this time there will be democratic revenge. Not just change — I want democratic revenge,” she said at the end of the public meeting.
