For the sake of national interest, Modi, Shah must go: Mamata

At a press meet in the national capital on Thursday, February 14, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee again trained her guns on the BJP-led NDA government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah in particular. “For the sake of national interest, this government must go. They have sold off the country (Desh ko bech diya hai),” she said. She added that the leader of a country had to be someone who could take along all sections of the society. “Desh ka neta woh hai joh sabko leke chalta hai, lekin yeh lok sirf farak karte hain,” she said.

She also said that a pre-poll alliance is in the process of taking shape, hinting at an expansion of the established partners of the UPA alliance. “In different states, parties have compulsions. There are local equations to keep in mind. So even if we fight at the state level, at the national level, there will be a pre-poll alliance,” she said.

She also added that, “People in the respective states are intelligent enough to know who to vote for to defeat the BJP. The real issue is to defeat this government. Modi and Shah must go. They will go. Their expiry date is over.” She even told the media, “Even for your sake, this is the best thing. You are operating under a cloud of fear.”

She said the Congress has been entrusted with the responsibility to draft a common minimum programme (CMP) of the alliance. When asked why the Congress was going to draft it, she cheekily said, “Because someone has to. It’s just the draft. There will be pluses and minuses.”

Questioned as to why she was not allowing the BJP to campaign in West Bengal, she rejected the assertion, saying, “Someone (Amit Shah) who had swine flu and was admitted in a hospital came to West Bengal to address a rally after two days of his release from the hospital. Ten to twelve central ministers, five chief ministers came. These are all lies.”

Calling the CBI a tool in the hands of the current government, she said, “I respect CBI officers. We do not distinguish between state and central officers. But Modi, Shah and Ajit Doval call the CBI officers over and tell them ‘arrest these these these people’”

Calling the Rafale a huge scandal, she said the actual picture will come to light only when the government changes.

Confronted by a question that the CAG has absolved the government, she said, “Please do not say these things. Institutions have been usurped by this government and CAG has also been co-opted. Even the media,”