Abhishek Banerjee SLAMS BJP: 'India will become like Sri Lanka, Afghanistan IF..'

Slamming the BJP over rising prices in the country, TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has said that India's condition will soon be like that in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. The TMC leader launched a sharp attack on BJP and slammed the Centre over rising fuel prices. Abhishek said that petrol is currently priced at Rs 106 a litre, while even kerosene has seen a massive price hike over the years. Banerjee reportedly warned that soon, people in the country will face a shortage of food and fuel and India's situation will become like that of conflict-torn Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

While the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal is giving money in the hands of women through a scheme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking it away from them by raising cooking gas prices to nearly Rs 1,100 per cylinder, he claimed. Petrol and diesel prices are also rising steadily, he said. "What happened in Sri Lanka and Afghanisthan, I believe the people of India will create a similar situation against the BJP," Banerjee said while addressing a public meeting in Dhupguri in West Bengal.

Abhishek's comments come on the heels of controversial remarks made by Trinamool Congress MLA from West Bengal Idris Ali against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ali had said that PM Modi will meet the same fate as that of his Sri Lankan counterpart."Whatever happened with the President of Sri Lanka, will happen with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. Looking at the things in India, I say that Prime Minister Modi is a total failure. It will be even worse here. Prime Minister Modi will also resign and flee," TMC MLA Idris Ali said. 

Earlier on Saturday, protesters stormed into Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa`s official home and later broke into Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe`s private residence and set it on fire. Both President Rajapaksa and PM Wickremesinghe have announced to step down from their posts amid the ongoing protests. However, the protesters who have occupied the residences of the President and Prime Minister have cleared that they will continue to occupy their houses until they resign from their posts.The worsening economic situation in the country has led to increasing tensions and over the last few weeks, there were reports of several confrontations between individuals and members of the police force and the armed forces at fuel stations where thousands of desperate members of the public have queued for hours and sometimes days. Police have used tear gas and water cannons at times in a disproportionate manner. On occasions, armed forces have also fired live ammunition.

'There is only West Bengal and no south or north Bengal'

Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee also said that those north Bengal leaders of the TMC because of whom voters turned away from the party in the last Lok Sabha and assembly elections will not get tickets in the next panchayat polls. Referring to the demand for a separate state comprising the northern districts of West Bengal by a section of BJP leaders, Banerjee who is considered no. 2 in the Trinamool Congress asserted that nobody will dare to divide the state till Mamata Banerjee is the chief minister. "Because of a few leaders, voters of north Bengal had turned away from the TMC in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 assembly elections. The party has identified them and none of such people will be given tickets in the panchayat polls (due next year)," Abhishek Banerjee said. The saffron party has fared well in those two elections in the northern districts such as Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar.

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Abhishek said he does not like the term 'north Bengal' as it appears that the region is different from the rest of the state. "There is only West Bengal and no south or north. If anyone thinks of dividing Bengal, we will prevent it with the last drop of our blood," he said. Demand for a separate state or Union territory for the northern part of the state has been raised by the BJP in the last several years alleging that the region did not have any development.

He claimed that the Left Front during its 34-year-long rule had done nothing for the development of north Bengal while the TMC, after coming to power in 2011, has bridged the gap to a large extent. Admitting that the TMC's leadership in the north Bengal districts has committed some errors, Banerjee said, "I have come to seek your pardon and to give you my word that I will visit these places regularly."

(With PTI inputs)