West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused the BJP-led central government of subverting democracy and said the TMC will work with all opposition parties to oust the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Giving the slogan of 'BJP quit India in 2019', Banerjee charged that the BJP-led government at the Centre has taken away the rights of the people in the country.
"Secularism is under threat," she alleged while kicking off her 'BJP quit India' campaign here during the day which was commemorated as the 75th anniversary of the 'Quit India Movement'.
"The BJP-led government is trying to divide the country. We will not allow it. In 2019, our slogan will be 'BJP Quit India'. We will work with all other opposition parties, so that we can unitedly fight against the BJP.
"We want this politics of communalism and hatred to come to an end. 'BJP hatao, desh bachao' (Oust BJP, save the country). We will fight and not stop till the BJP is ousted from power. Democracy will triumph against all odds," she said.
"They (Centre) can threaten us by using the ED, the Income Tax and the CBI but we are not afraid of it. The central government has turned into a government of the agencies, by the agencies, of the agencies and for the agencies," she said.
Referring to Congress leader Ahmed Patel's victory in Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat, Banerjee said "Yesterday throughout the night we saw the battle between democracy and autocracy. I am glad that finally democracy won. This is the strength of democracy."
Banerjee said she will attend RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav's August 27 rally in Patna.
The TMC leader also accused the BJP of shedding "crocodile tears" for the adivasis and backward sections of the society.
"On the one hand they (BJP) are lynching adivasis and people from backward sections of society, while on the other hand they are clicking photographs with adivasis and having lunch at their houses," she charged.
Slamming demonetisation, Banerjee wondered in whose interest was the decision taken.
"Demonetisation was forcibly imposed on the entire country. Unemployment has increased due to this decision. Now in the name of GST, steps are being taken to send people behind bars. And they are saying it is being done for the sake of the masses," she alleged.
Banerjee, who has opposed the rolling out of GST and whose government passed the State Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017 in the assembly yesterday, said "We didn't want this GST. We were forced to pass the bill as transaction in our state treasury was being stopped. We had repeatedly said that do not implement GST in a hurry. We should have given more time to the traders. But they (Centre) did not pay heed to our pleas."
Accusing the BJP of dividing the people on religious lines, Banerjee said, "The spirit of of our nation lies in unity in diversity. The BJP should not teach us about religion. They are not real Hindus, they are fake.
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