Arrest me if you so wish: Mamata dares Modi

Image
IANS Asansol
Last Updated : Apr 08 2016 | 10:42 PM IST

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a no-holds-barred attack on her, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said his comments do not behove the office he holds and termed his BJP "Bhayanak Jali Party (Dangerously Fraud Party)" while daring him to arrest her.

"I fight with my head held high. I never bow my head before anyone. The prime minister can arrest me if he so wishes, I don't care," she said addressing an election rally here - the same area where Modi held one of his three meetings on Thursday.

Banerjee told the prime minister that she was not his "domestic help" and alleged he spoke like an RSS volunteer.

"Making big speeches is easy but working for people is difficult. The prime minister spoke like a Swayam Sevak shakha worker," she said.

Regretting that Modi made personal attacks on her whenever he came to the state, Banerjee said one needed to be more retrained in his public utterances.

"Whenever Modi ji comes to Bengal, he makes personal attacks which are in extremely bad taste. But just because the PM made personal attacks against me, I will not do the same.

"I do not make personal attacks even if I am politically opposed to someone. I do not indulge in such personal attacks against Modi, or (CPI-M leader) Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, even though I don't like their politics.

"It doesn't behove a prime minister to make such utterances," she said.

In an apparent reference to Modi's radio show "Maan ki Baat", Banerjee said: "On the radio, one hears only Modi's maan ki baat, as if he is god."

Countering Modi's remarks that Trinamool Congress (TMC) stands for "Terror", "Maut" (death) and "Corruption", Banerjee called the BJP "Bhayanak Jaali Party".

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Apr 08 2016 | 10:24 PM IST

Next Story