Mamata Banerjee’s ‘washing machine’ jibe at BJP: Let's oust BJP without thinking of who will be leader after polls

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on BJP on Wednesday during her two-day sit-in protest in Kolkata against the BJP-led Centre and prime Minister Narendra Modi for the government's alleged discriminatory attitude towards her state.

The TMC workers brought a washing machine labelled as ‘BJP’ to the protest stage and the Chief Minister dropped black clothes in the machine, which symbolically turned ‘white’ after washing.

"Washing machine, BJP!" slogans were also raised during the protest.

The symbolic act was part of TMC’s protest, using the washing machine as a prop for an allegation often raised by Mamata Banerjee that corrupt leaders are exonerated and spared when they join the BJP, while the Opposition leaders are arrested and jailed.

“Under BJP’s rule, the opposition is endlessly harassed by central agencies. But the minute an opposition leader joins the BJP, they become innocent as a lamb. That’s the magic of BJP WASHING MACHINE!,” TMC tweeted from its official handle.

"BJP has become a washing machine. Give me a list of all thieves and robbers - they are all sitting there (with BJP). I have to listen to their sermons about the constitution?" Mamata Banerjee said as she launched a two-day protest sit-in against the central government.

"I have every right to hold a dharna. If required, I can sit on a dharna at the PM's house too," she said.

The Trinamool is protesting against the Union Government's alleged discriminatory attitude toward West Bengal, by not disbursing funds to the state. The protests have escalated ahead of the local body elections in the state and the 2024 general election.

Banerjee was accompanied by senior party leaders Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Subrata Bakshi and Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, who reached the venue in front of Dr B R Ambedkar's statue on Red Road around noon on Wednesday and started her protest against the Centre's alleged stoppage of funds to the state for MGNREGA and other schemes of the housing and road departments.

“No fund allocation has been made in this year’s Union budget for these projects in Bengal. There are no funds for road projects as well. We are yet to receive ₹1,15,000 crore under several heads. I met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi six months ago and requested the Centre’s cooperation. I met (Union home minister) Amit Shah in Kolkata as well," Banerjee said.

The Trinamool chief, who has been fiercely critical of the Congress, had displayed rare support for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has been disqualified as an MP after his two-year jail sentence in a defamation case over his "Modi surname" comments.

"In PM Modi's New India, opposition leaders have become the prime target of the BJP. While BJP leaders with criminal antecedents are inducted into the cabinet, opposition leaders are disqualified for their speeches. Today, we have witnessed a new low for our constitutional democracy," Ms Banerjee said.

Mamata Banerjee also reiterated Trinamool Congress's stand for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, saying that instead of thinking of who will be their leader after the polls, the prime object of the opposition parties in the nation will be to oust the BJP from power.

"There will be a game and we will also participate in that. In Uttar Pradesh, we will play the match jointly with (Samajwadi Party chief) Akhilesh Yadav. People from all religions will participate in this game to oust the BJP from power in 2024," she said during her sit-in agitation which will continue till 7 p.m. on Thursday.

However, during her speech, she did not even give any subtle hint on whether her blueprint of a united opposition against the BJP includes Congress or not.

On the day of her meeting with the Samajwadi Party chief, the Trinamool Congress leadership made it clear that they will maintain a distance from the Congress and instead try to unite the regional parties having strength with their respective states.

On Monday, the Trinamool had sent representatives to attend the strategy sessions convened by Congress President, Mallikarjun Kharge in wake of Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as a member of Lok Sabha, but the choice of representatives by West Bengal's ruling party for that strategy meeting surprised all.

None of the two representatives for the meeting on behalf of Trinamool Congress are identified as seasoned politicians. Trinamool representative in the strategy meeting from Lok Sabha was Prasun Banerjee, who is basically a footballer-turned-politician. The party's representative from Rajya Sabha was a bureaucrat-turned-politician and first-time member of the upper house of the Parliament Jawhar Sirkar. It is perceived by political circles that Trinamool's representation in the strategy meeting convened by Kharge was just to scale the opposition pulse.