Don't vote for BJP in Karnataka: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

In what could be interpreted as passive support to Congress, Trinamool chief and West Bengal Chife Minister Mamata Banerjee asked people not to vote for BJP in Karnataka elections.

The Trinamool has been maintaining a distance from the Congress party, refraining from interactions while having parleys with regional parties in the Opposition space. Banerjee's call for not voting for BJP leaves two other contenders in the fray in the upcoming Karnataka elections to opt for – the Congress party and the Janata Dal (Secular).

"The faster the BJP leaves, the better it is. This work cannot be done by split of votes…. Their downfall is inevitable, and I will be very happy if the downfall begins from Karnataka. We are not contesting. I feel, who should one vote for is public affair. But, please don't vote for BJP. This I will definitely say. Don't vote for BJP," Mamata said, while speaking at her party's outreach programme at English Bazar in Malda district.

Read | BJP will lose 2024 polls if the Opposition unites, says WB Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

Mamata termed her political opponent in the state a 'dangerous political party' lacking vision and mission.

"If I stay alive, remember… I am nurturing the next generation. There's Bobby (Firhad Hakim, a Trinamool leader), Abhishek (Trinamool MP). Are they getting ready just like that? I am getting them ready so that even after my death, they bury (hammer) them well," she said.

Speaking about citizenship rights, she said, not having an Aadhaar card makes one a foreigner. A letter from the (Union) home minister has come. Any anomaly in official documents can turn one into a foreigner. "I will not allow (you) to do even one," she added.

Referring to the extended jurisdiction of up to 50 km of the BSF along the borders, Mamata claimed that through this move, the BJP will encourage highhandedness and will try to have people moved away from localities. She asked people to organise themselves and fight back.

Mamata told the people that no matter how much threatened in the name of ED, CBI, when the new government comes, everything "will be withdrawn".