"You Voted For Ram Mandir, And You Are Getting It" — Mamata Nephew Abhishek Banerjee Ahead Of Panchayat Polls In Bengal

Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress' national general secretary, didn't hold back recently, against the backdrop of the upcoming Panchayat polls in West Bengal and the general election to follow in 2024.

"If you vote on issues of Hindu-Muslim, 56-inch chest or Balakot, you will not be able to exercise your rights," Banerjee said while addressing a public meeting at Onda in Bankura district, as reported by NDTV.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had snagged both Lok Sabha seats in the district in the 2019 election.

"Voting for the BJP is like digging a canal and inadvertently inviting a crocodile," Banerjee said.

"In the upcoming panchayat elections, will you vote in the name of religion or your rights? You voted for Ram Mandir, and you are getting it. If you vote for your rights, you will get your rights," he added.

Banerjee, widely perceived to be the No 2 in the party, alleged that the Union government is withholding funds from Bengal to retaliate against the people of the state for the BJP's loss to the Trinamool in the 2021 assembly polls.

He targeted the BJP for non-payment of dues under the 100-day rural job guarantee scheme.

"The next Panchayat and Lok Sabha elections will be fought on which issues?... Pending 100-day job guarantee scheme payments or Hindu-Muslim? In 2019, their big slogan was Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Ram. You are free to observe your religion at your home or at a temple the entire day. No one will stop you from doing that. If you say Jai Shri Ram, does petrol become free? Does mustard oil become cheaper?" he said.

The Trinamool and BJP are in a dispute over funds for Bengal under the central schemes.

The Trinamool accuses the Centre of withholding funds for political reasons, while the BJP alleges corruption in implementing schemes.

The Centre insists that they will release the funds as soon as the accounts of expenses are provided.

Both the parties are currently focused on winning back seats they lost in 2019.

Thus, Banerjee is campaigning in Bankura, where BJP won both seats, and Amit Shah plans to visit Suri in Birbhum district, where the BJP suffered a loss.