ENDING SPECULATION about a possible tie-up with Congress as part of the larger opposition bloc INDIA to take on the BJP, Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee Sunday fielded party candidates in all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.
The TMC has fielded former cricketer Yusuf Pathan from Baharampur, known to be a bastion of Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who has been critical of the state government. It also fielded Mahua Moitra from her Krishnanagar seat, signaling that she has retained the faith of the TMC leadership despite her expulsion from the Lok Sabha over the cash-for-query allegations in December last year.
Sharpening the attack on the BJP, Banerjee highlighted two recent incidents – one in her state and the other in Delhi – to accuse its leaders of stereotyping people and spreading communal hatred.
Referring to the incident on February 20 in which a Sikh IPS officer who stopped BJP leaders from marching to Sandeshkhali was called a “Khalistani”, the Chief Minister said: “Those who wear turbans, BJP leaders call them Khalistanis while Muslims are called Pakistanis.”
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