I don’t name stadium after me: Mamata takes subtle dig without naming PM Modi

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee — whose Trinamool Congress part is part of the Opposition INDIA alliance — on Monday took a subtle jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi without naming him, by referring to the cricket stadium in Ahmedabad named after the prime minister.

“I don’t name a stadium after me. I don’t name railway lines after me. I don’t need any self-publicity. It is enough to live as an ideal human being,” the chief minister said at a party programme here on Monday.

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, earlier known as the Motera Stadium, is currently the largest cricket stadium in the world, with a seating capacity of 132,000.

Banerjee also launched a scathing attack against the Union government over pending central dues under various centrally-sponsored schemes.

“They have withheld payments for the 100-day job scheme under MGNREGA. Those who worked under this scheme could not be paid. An amount of Rs 7,000 crore under this head is still pending from the Union government,” Banerjee said.

The chief minister also said she does not even accept pension as an erstwhile Lok Sabha MP. “I have been in politics for a long time. I had been an MP for so many consecutive terms. Had I wished, I could have received a hefty sum as pension. But I did not accept that. As a chief minister, I don’t draw any salary. Still, we are called thieves,” she said.

She ended her speech with an appeal for mass support for her movement against the Union government on various issues in the coming days.