I dare PM to arrest me: Mamata Banerjee

Voicing her anger and anguish over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tirade against her and her party, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday dared him to arrest her. “Narendra Modi and the BJP have frequently talked about Saradha (chit fund scam). He is calling us thieves and trying to frighten me with the CBI... If he has the guts, then put me behind bars,” she said while addressing an election rally at Kandi, in Murshidabad district.

Ms Banerjee said the BJP has a tendency to always spread canards against her and that Mr Modi, too, resorted to lies. She made it clear that she was not scared of going to jail because the people were with her. “I will show you by bouncing back in the polls with a massive mandate even from behind bars,” she added. Ms Banerjee said Mr Modi should not try to intimidate her because she was not scared. “Narendra Modi is insulting the Maa, Maati and Manush of Bengal. You should give him a befitting reply,” she added. Without naming the BJP, she said an inquiry should be carried out into the thousands of crores which other parties had amassed. At another election rally, in Jalangi in Murshidabad, Ms Banerjee said the BJP always tries to foment communal riots. “But in Bengal I will not allow anyone to spark riots. Malda and Murshidabad are districts with substantial Muslim populations but Hindus and Muslims live here in perfect harmony,” she added.

Ms Banerjee said the PM could not see development in West Bengal because he had “developed cataracts” in his eyes. Mr Modi had indulged in Mamata-bashing even when he had visited the state on March 27, before the first phase of elections. However, Ms Banerjee had not hit back. In fact, her total silence on Mr Modi had given the CPI(M) and Congress to reiterate their charge that there was a tacit understanding between the Prime Minister and the chief minister.

Mr Modi, on his second visit to the state on Thursday, again lashed out against Ms Banerjee and her party leaders. Ridiculing her party, he said the “TMC stood for terror, mauth (death) and corruption”. From Narada to the flyover crash, he tore into Ms Banerjee. She remained quiet on Thursday, but decided to hit back on Friday. In a tit-for-tat reply she had said the BJP stood for “Bhayanak Jaali Party (terrifyingly fake party)”.