Mamata To Hold Dharna In Kolkata Against Centre Ahead Of Panchayat Polls; BJP To Hit Back With Protest Against Corruption In Bengal

Ahead of the Panchayat Polls in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will hold a two-day dharna in Kolkata.

The move comes as the Trinamool Congress is sharpening its attack on BJP, the main opposition party in the state, ahead of the panchayat polls.

Banerjee is expected to blame the BJP-led Centre for withholding funds to the state during the dharna at Ambedkar statue.

Further, Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool general secretary and the Chief Minister's nephew, is also set to speak at a Shahid Minar ground rally to protest Centre's policies and its alleged neglect towards Bengal.

After losing the Sagardighi bypoll to Congress, Trinamool is working hard for the panchayat polls.

Mamata has reportedly taken over the minority affairs portfolio from Ghulam Rabbani as part of the corrective measures to ensure an impressive performance in the forthcoming rural polls.

The West Bengal CM is also preparing for Trinamool's campaign for the 2024 general election. She had already announced that the party will run independently for the Lok Sabha elections, and is attempting to create a coalition of regional parties without the Congress.

Banerjee's comment about Rahul Gandhi being PM Modi's "biggest TRP" sparked an exchange of barbs between TMC and Congress.

Congress accused Trinamool of a deal with BJP in response.

However, the Mamata Banerjee led party has supported the Congress on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as MP following a Gujarat court's criminal defamation verdict.

Meanwhile, the BJP also intend to protest in Kolkata, with BJP leaders in Bengal holding a daylong sit-in at Shyambazar to target Trinamool over corruption allegations.