Mamata Banerjee: Might send gifts, sweets but won't give vote

Mamata Banerjee

In an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's revelation that Mamata Banerjee sends him kurtas and sweets every year, the West Bengal Chief Minister on Wednesday said that she might send gifts and sweets to people on occasions but will not give them her vote.

"I send rosogollas to people. I do send them gifts during pujas and offer tea, but will not give (them) a single vote," Banerjee said without naming the Prime Minister, during an election rally, here in the Hoogly district.

In a candid conversation with actor Akshay Kumar, Modi revealed that Banerjee, otherwise one of his most vocal critic, herself selects kurtas and gifts them to him every year.

He also said Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina used to send him special sweets every year from Dhaka. When Banerjee came to know about it, she also started sending him Bengali sweets on "one or two occasions every year".

In her rally, Banerjee accused Modi of converting a huge amount of black money into white through demonetisation and spending it to purchase votes.

"Modi babu, you forcibly imposed demonetisation on people in order to convert black money into white and now spend them during elections to purchase votes. But your efforts will go in vain in Bengal," she said.

Later, in a rally at Krishnanagar in Nadia, she alleged the BJP was trying to buy votes by distributing gifts.

"You (Modi) will be thrown out after the elections. Our government will prove what a big scam demonetisation was," she said.

Banerjee also said the BJP "goons have been trying" to create disturbances and unleash terror in the state though Trinamool Congress activists and supporters and her government are "committed to maintaining peace and harmony".

Urging people to defeat Modi, she said: "If you want to save the country and our Constitution, drive him out of power and save the nation from disaster."

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