West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supr-emo Mamata Banerjee on Friday termed the BJP her principal opponent for the 2018 State rural body elections.

Addressing the Martyrs’ Day rally — the Trinamool Congress’ biggest political event, held annually in Kolkata — the CM spent nearly her entire 40-minute speech attacking the BJP, and the Narendra Modi government. “I want a cent per cent result in the Panchayat elections. Promise me that. Ensure that the BJP does not win even one seat from Bengal in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls too,” she told party workers.

Building resistance Banerjee said there was a need to build resistance against communal forces and the “false propaganda” being spread through social media. She announced that grass-roots ‘resistance groups’ and vigilante squads named ‘Shanti Bahini’ (peace-keeping forces) would soon be set up.

“If you notice any post on social media, or propaganda by the saffron party or similar fringe groups to incite violence, raise a voice of protest. Approach the police immediately,” she said.

Ousting BJP Making it clear that ousting the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was her ultimate aim, the Trinamool Congress supremo pledged her support to major opposition parties and their leaders: Sonia Gandhi, Lalu Prasad and Arvind Kejriwal.

“I am with Sonia ji , Lalu ji , Nitish Kumar and Arvind Kejriwal,” she said, reiterating her support for a united anti-BJP front.

Asserting that Centre was a failure on all fronts, Banerjee said she would launch a ‘BJP Bharat Chodho’ movement (BJP Quit India) in August.

Fear psychosis Opposition parties, she maintained, are being forced into silence by the BJP through use of central probe agencies.

Incidentally, Banerjee is already under pressure with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI investigating the alleged complicity of Trinamool Congress leaders in the Sarada and Rose Valley scams; and in alleged bribery charges under Narada sting tapes.

While MPs Sudip Bandopadhyay and Tapas Pal have been arrested by the CBI, the agency has also summoned Sougata Roy and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar in connection with the Narada tapes.

The ED, however, has summoned party Bengal Cabinet ministers like Sovan Chatterjee, Firhad Hakim, Suvendu Adhikari and Subrata Mukherjee also in connection with the Narada tapes.

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