Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of turning the meditation session in Kanyakumari into a media spectacle funded with taxpayers’ money.
Banerjee said meditation is a private practice that benefits the body, mind and soul, but people need to be careful about displaying it in public.
“You (journalists), me and anyone can meditate. There is nothing wrong with it. Meditation is good for the body, mind and soul. But please don’t make it a media spectacle. Don’t meditate under the glare of cameras,” Banerjee told reporters after casting her vote.
On PM Modi’s decision to contest from Varanasi, he said, “He can contest from anywhere. But there are suspicions that the Election Commission has rejected the nomination of many other candidates. If he is so confident of victory, why is he taking such a step?”
“In Diamond Harbour constituency where I am contesting, besides TMC, the candidates are BJP, CPI(M) and SUCI. With the support of the people, there is no need to fear any rival candidate,” he said.
Expressing confidence about the TMC’s electoral prospects, he said the party is expected to perform better compared to the 2019 elections, both in terms of seats and vote share.
Banerjee criticised the BJP’s overconfident prediction of winning more than 30 seats in West Bengal and reminded people of the party’s past performance.
“In the last six Lok Sabha elections, the TMC has already won 22 of the 33 seats in West Bengal where polls are being held,” he said.
Asked if he was confident that the party would win all the nine seats for which polls are being held in the seventh phase of elections, he added: “We have to wait for three more days to know the results.”
He accused PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of threatening to topple democratically elected state governments and accused them of flouting democratic principles.
“Firstly, let us wait for the election results on June 4 and see how many seats you (BJP) can actually win. Secondly, this is the Lok Sabha elections and TMC was elected to power by the people of Bengal in the 2021 state assembly elections. Why are you (BJP strongmen) making statements that you will topple the state government? This shows that the BJP has no respect for democracy,” he added.
Banerjee accused the BJP of controlling the Election Commission and manipulating the state machinery for political gains and said she was confident that voters would respond appropriately.
He highlighted the TMC’s commitment to social work and continuous engagement with the people, contrasting it with the BJP’s dependence on the media, executive agencies and patronage from the Central government.
“BJP’s politics revolves around media, ED and CBI. TMC is with the people 365 days a year,” he added.
On her electoral prospects in Diamond Harbour, Banerjee expressed optimism of winning with a large margin. “I am targeting to get more than 400,000 votes,” she added.
After casting her vote, Banerjee wrote to X, “Today, I have exercised my right to vote and performed the most important civic duty that we all share. I urge you to also vote and make your voice heard. Today is the day you give your answer to all the deprivations, empty promises, lies, pain and hatred.”
On reports that actor-turned-BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty is facing TMC protests in north Kolkata, Banerjee said, “I cannot say what has happened. I have no information. But if there are people shouting ‘choo choo’ at a BJP leader, what can be done about it?”
