Rahul Gandhi questions Mamata-Modi bonhomie

On a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are in Dhaka for the inking of the Land Boundary Agreement, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday questioned their bonhomie.

He also slammed the duo for making tall promises.

Attacking Banerjee for pulling out of the then prime minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in 2011, Gandhi questioned the Trinamool Congress supremo's change of heart that prompted her to join Modi on his two-day trip to Bangladesh.

"When Manmohan Singh went to Dhaka and asked her to accompany, Mamata ji said 'no' asserting she wanted 'ekla chalo re' (go your own way alone). But now with Modi, she is not singing 'ekla chalo re' (go alone).

"Why is this friendship between Modi and Mamata, what is the reason of this friendship, you all know the answer," Gandhi said addressing party workers here.

Gandhi said both Modi and Mamata had a habit of making tall promises with no intentions to fulfil them.

"Both Modi and Mamataji make only promises. Mamata has been saying industry is coming to Bengal, but I ask has a single unit been set up here. She says youth will get jobs but there are over one crore jobless youth in Bengal," said Gandhi.

Accusing the Trinamool government of stunting Bengal's development Gandhi took a dig at Banerjee's 'whimsical' ways saying she has misinterpreted Rabindranath Tagore's masterpiece 'Ekla Chalo re'.

"She has misinterpreted ekla chalo re and has been running Bengal without listening to anybody. She has nothing to do with what her party leaders say or what the youth have to say," said Gandhi.

Calling on the party workers to stand up against Trinamool's violence, Gandhi said Bengal will go ahead on the road to development only if Congress comes to power in the state.

"The (CPI-M) led Left Front who have a hammer in their party symbol used to hammer the soul of Bengal. Looking for respite, people brought in the Trinamool hoping its symbol, the flower will bloom. But to the people's misfortune, the flower turned out to be more destructive than the Left's hammer.

"The Left had put a brake on Bengal's growth and the Trinamool had put both its feet on the brake. It's time for Mamata to vacate the seat and if you want the vehicle of progress to move ahead then bring Congress to power. I am there with you all. I am ready to receive Mamata stick blows but will always stand beside you," added Gandhi.