"Stop using Netaji for votes..": Mamata Banerjee slams PM Modi, a day after his Kolkata Roadshow

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a fiery critique of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, accusing him of exploiting Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s legacy for electoral gain. Leading a padayatra from Kolkata’s Shyambazar Paanch Mathar More to Swami Vivekananda’s residence, Banerjee, alongside fellow Trinamool Congress leaders, rallied support for TMC's Kolkata North candidate, Sudip Bandhyopadhyay. In a twist of political déjà vu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had trodden the same path on Tuesday, while campaigning for BJP candidate from Kolkata North, Tapas Roy, a turncoat from Trinamool Congress.

“The country would not have achieved independence had it not been for Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He formed the Indian National Army; he created the Planning Commission, which was later dismantled. He too propounded the Jai Hind slogan. However, the Prime Minister uses him for electoral gains. During the election season, he can stop here at the 5 Point Crossing of Shyambazar, but does not declare Netaji’s birthday as a national holiday. We have however, declared January 23, his birthday as a state holiday in Bengal,” said the Trinamool Congress Supremo.

Mamata Banerjee took another jab at the BJP, accusing the saffron party of busing in supporters from the city outskirts and even beyond state lines for a Kolkata poll rally. “I must add one more thing; we did not have to pool in people from elsewhere, you, the local people have turned up in large numbers. Yesterday, they (BJP) brought in supporters and party workers from Howrah, Hoogly, Jharkhand, Bihar, and other places. However, we did not have to do any such thing, because we know for a fact that the people of Bengal, the people here in Shyambazar are enough,” thundered Banerjee. Mamata Banerjee's rally kicked off at Shyambazar and concluded at Swami Vivekananda’s residence, where she paid her respects and laid flowers at the statue of Vivekananda.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by Bengal BJP leaders and the Kolkata North candidate, embarked on a road show along the exact same 2.5km stretch from Shyambazar Paanch Mathar More to Swami Vivekananda’s residence on Tuesday. The rally ended with Modi paying his respects and offering flowers at the Vivekananda statue.

Before the rally, speaking at a poll event in Bengal’s Jadavpur constituency, the Prime Minister took a swipe at the TMC, accusing the state's ruling party of perpetuating a "corrupt ecosystem." “TMC takes forward a corrupt ecosystem...TMC's politics is for the vote bank, the best example is...TMC illegally declared 77 Muslim castes as OBC but when the High Court order came, their work was spoiled...still, to make Muslims happy, TMC government is saying that they won't accept the court order,” said the Prime Minister.