Malda: CM Mamata Banerjee has set her sights on Delhi. "We will not only form the government in Bengal in 2016, but also at the Centre in 2019," she said at an election rally in Islampur on Monday.
"In Bihar, a government was formed under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. We have good relations with them. During the assembly election we supported them," the CM said, referring to the 2015 Bihar election in which a Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) of JD(U), RJD and Congress crushed BJP's challenge.
The reference to Bihar was understandable given Islampur's proximity with Bihar and the huge presence of Hindi-speaking Muslims here. Mamata vowed to strike an alliance with "leaders like Nitish Kumar to form a greater alliance" in 2019.
She called the Congress-CPM jote in Bengal an "unholy alliance". "After the assembly election, Congress will be reduced to a poster and there will be no trace of CPM," Mamata said.
Reeling off her 'achievements', the CM said: "In the last assembly election you gave me just two MLAs. But was there any dearth of development? We set up superspeciality hospitals, a dialysis centre, kisan mandis, university... what not?"
Reacting to opposition allegations of Trinamool high-handedness, Mamata said: "Where was democracy in the Left regime? There were only violence and bloodshed. Thousands were killed. We restored law and order."
On Monday's polling, she remarked that lakhs of people stepped out to vote despite the heat. "My government workers are out performing their duty. Without appreciating them, some people are finding faults," she said.
She took a dig at the opposition and said, "Some were bubbling with false confidence about scoring a sixer in the first phase in Jangalmahal. Let them wait till May 19. Chhokka marte giye sob hobe fokka (they will fizzle out)."