Highlights

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday said that he would organise massive protests in Delhi with help of people from Bengal to force the Centre clear all the dues of Bengal.

He once again challenged the BJP-led Centre that he will not bow down to any pressure tactics by the BJP. Banerjee, was addressing a rally at West Midnapore’s Debra on the 33th day of “Jana Sanjog Yatra”.

He said: “After Trinamoole

Nabajowar campaign is over, I will hold a protest rally in Delhi. I need support from the people of Bengal. I will take you to Delhi and sit in on a demonstration. In democracy, people will say the final word not the ruling party or the Opposition. Centre has withheld Rs 1,15,000 crore dues of Bengal. If they clear the dues, not a single person in the state will be left out who will not have a pucca roof over his/her head.”

He once again reiterated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be able to stop the funds only by pressing a button. Sounding the poll bugle for the 2024 General Elections, Banerjee said that the election will be a fight of button vs button.

“PM Narendra Modi thinks he can do as he pleases and is under the impression that he can stop people’s funds at the push of a button. If he has the remote control that controls the release of funds, in the coming days, people will use the EVM button to remove him from power,” he said.

“People will return Modi the same coin he has given them,” he said, adding: “Bengal has shown enough courtesy and resilience towards the Centre. Our courtesy is not our weakness. They (Centre) tried to stop our Trinamool-e Nabajowar campaign by using ED and CBI. They cannot stop our campaign by using ED and CBI. We have come out stronger. We do not bow down to the Centre due to pressure. After I was summoned, more people started pouring in our mass outreach programme.” Banerjee said.

While referring to the 2016 demonetisation crisis as “Tughlaqi” diktat, Abhishek Banerjee said: “More than 140 people died due to the incident. » ‘PM Narendra Modi thinks he can do as he pleases and is under the impression that he can stop people’s funds at the push of a button’

» ‘If he has the remote control that controls the release of funds, in the coming days, people will use the EVM button to remove him from power’

All of a sudden, currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations were declared as illegal tender. Who is responsible? Now, they have announced that Rs 2,000 currency notes will be withdrawn. People keep dying while standing in queues whereas you keep travelling to Australia, America, and London and have fun. This is the ‘Achche Din’ that people were promised.”

He said the new Parliament building entailed an expense of Rs 20,000 crore. With that amount 12 lakh houses could have been built in Bengal and two crore people could have been given employment.

But the state is yet to get Rs 1.15 lakh crore dues from the Centre because of the “vindictive attitude” of the Modi government.