Kolkata: Addressing her final campaign rally for the Lok Sabha elections on Thursday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sounded hopeful of ousting the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from power at the Centre.
Speaking before a roadshow in the Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency on the last day of campaigning for the final phase of Lok Sabha elections scheduled on Saturday, the Chief Minister said, “The people of Jadavpur are always close to my heart. I am confident that the voters here will back the Trinamool Congress this time as well. In all probability, the NDA will not return to power after the Lok Sabha elections.”
Stating that the people of West Bengal should not vote for the BJP, CM Banerjee said, “The Centre has stopped releasing funds required for making payments under the 100-day job scheme in the state.”
She also took a swipe at the three-day meditation programme undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari, saying: “There is no harm in meditation. But why do you need to take a camera along while doing meditation?”
Taking note of the fact that there is a large chunk of voters in Jadavpur whose families came as refugees from Bangladesh after the Partition, the Chief Minister said: “There are no more colonies here. These are all permanent settlements. We should not use the word slums for such areas. The youth staying here are going for higher education now. This is called real elevation in life.”
–IANS