Trinamul workers display a cutout of Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee during the Martyrs’ Day rally she addressed in Kolkata on Saturday. Martyrs’ Day is observed to pay homage to 13 Youth Cong workers killed in police firing in 1993.

BJP cannot build a pandal. How can they be expected to build the nation? — Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal CM

Vowing to win all of the 42 seats in West Bengal in Lok Sabha elections next year Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday announced of inviting UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and leaders of other Opposition parties to a grand rally at Brigade Parade ground on January 19 in her desperate bid to strengthen her call for Federal Front to oust the BJP from power at the Centre. According to her, the BJP has started losing its allies in the NDA fold. Predicting the BJP’s ouster the West Bengal chief minister doubted if it would get the single largest majority in next LS polls.

Addressing Shahid Dibas ( Martyrs’ Day) rally she said, “Our pledge of July 21 this year, which is its 25th anniversary, is we will win 42 seats out of 42 with the people’s vote. In the coming days Bengal will show India the way. In future we will show the path in Parliament taking people from all walks of life.” She elaborated, “We will kickstart preparations for Brigade rally from November. More crowd than that of July 21 rally has to be pulled there. Ahead the LS Elections the call for winning 2019 and the central government will be made on January 19 from the Brigade. We will undertake it with all the political parties organising Federal Front. I will bring all the leaders from across the country to project: Bengal will show the way, you join us. Bengal is with you.”

Ms Banerjee underlined, “All will be invited. But we are not after chair. We care for the people.” After the rally, she told the media that Ms Sonia Gandhi and CPI( M) leaders would be invited at the Brigade.

Downplaying Modi government win against the no- confidence motion in the Parliament Ms Banerjee argued, “They are now claiming they would prove their mettle in 2024, not in 2019. Let them pass the test in 2019. After that 2024 will come.”

Comparing the present BJP leadership with two world leaders — Hitler and Mussolini and Talibans — Ms Banerjee told the rally, “Coming to power in India they are dictating more audaciously than Hitler and Mussolini.”