Mamata's hoardings at rally venue to welcome me: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a dig at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over TMC flags, banners and hoardings around his rally venue in West Midnapore district's Midnapore town, saying she put up these to 'welcome' him to the state.

Hundreds of Trinamool Congress hoardings and banners had come up ahead of the party's July 21 Martyr's Day Rally, bearing pictures of party supremo Banerjee with folded hands.

"I am grateful to the Trinamool Congress because they have covered the area with so many party flags for my rally here. I am also grateful to Mamata Didi (Banerjee) because she has herself erected several of her hoardings all around with her pictures with folded hands to extend a traditional welcome to the Prime Minister. I express my hearty gratitude to her for this gesture," Modi said at a farmers rally here.

The rally was held primarily over the Centre's decision to increase the minimum support price of 14 kharif (summer) crops for the 2018-19 marketing season.

"We have taken such a major step for the welfare of the farmers that even the Trinamool Congress had to put up so many party flags, along with pictures, to welcome me to this rally.

"This is not merely the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party, but of the peasant brothers and sisters," he added.

The Trinamool has been putting up party posters, banners and flags in large numbers on routes taken by BJP leaders visiting West Bengal, apparently to showcase its political might and also to counter propaganda material of the BJP in those areas.

BJP President Amit Shah had also taken a sarcastic view of the Trinamool's actions during his trip to the state late last month.

"While coming here, I saw Trinamool had put up a lot of banners in Hindi so that I can understand them. There was no need for them to take so much pain. I could have known it easily from my party leaders," Shah said at a rally venue in Purulia.

--IANS

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