KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said Narendra Modi should be referred to as the party’s leader and not the prime minister during the Bharatiya Janata Party’s election campaigns as he is a “caretaker prime minister”.
“Modi has the right to campaign. He has the right to come here and participate in election campaigns. But I am surprised to see him being called the prime minister in the party’s election advertisements,” Banerjee said at an election rally of party candidate Sudip Bandyopadhyay in Burrabazar area of Kolkata-Uttar constituency.
“How can he do this? There is no state assembly election and yet I am being called the TMC chairman in the election headquarters and within the party. Yet I am following the model code of conduct,” she said.
PM Modi is scheduled to take part in a roadshow in Kolkata on May 28.
Terming Modi a “caretaker prime minister”, Banerjee asserted that the BJP would not return to power for a third term and that the Indian Union would form the central government.
Banerjee accused the BJP of creating communal rifts to garner votes and termed it a “dangerous game”.
“I love people of all communities. I love Marwaris, Biharis and others who make up the beautiful mosaic of West Bengal. Don’t fall into the trap of any of the BJP’s sectarian rifts,” she said.
Banerjee said that even while addressing the election rally, she was thinking about relief and assistance to those affected by the cyclone and asserted that her administration was taking all necessary steps to alleviate the suffering of the people and was continuously monitoring the situation.
Published May 27, 2024 17:05 IST
