Trinamool will control Delhi: Mamata

Claiming that her Trinamool Congress will control the new government at the centre, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday asserted that her regime would leverage the strength to ensure the state was not deprived of central funds.

"Trinamool will control the government in Delhi. We won't allow it to deprive Bengal of funds. Centre has taken away Rs.86,000 crore from Bengal. They are depriving us of funds to stop development," the Trinamool supremo said at an election rally in Keshiary of West Midnapore district.

Exhorting the villagers to remain aware of the "friendship" among the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Congress, Banerjee cautioned the people not to "fall into the traps" laid by the opposition.

"There is a lot of friendship between BJP, CPI-M and Congress. If you have faith in me..then remember that whoever says anything and does anything...I will never abandon the common people as I work for them," she said.

Bengali superstar Dev, Trinamool's candidate from the district's Ghatal constituency and veteran actress Sandhya Roy from Midnapore were also present.

Training her guns on the opposition, Banerjee said the parties have huge amounts of funds and therefore they can use them to instigate the masses.

"Do not fall for the traps laid by the opposition. They have money power. They can carry out vicious campaigning," she said.

Banerjee said while the BJP was "communal", the Congress would raise the prices of essentials while the CPI-M only indulged in "destruction and killings".