Bringing back Indian students from Ukraine important, but PM Modi busy in UP meetings: Mamata

Banerjee also slammed the Centre over handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the exodus of migrant workers from big towns

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday sought to corner PM Narendra Modi over "delay" in evacuating stranded Indian students from war-torn Ukraine saying that the PM was busy holding election meetings while the students were facing problems in getting out of eastern European country.

Addressing a public meeting with Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, his alliance partners RLD president Jayant Chaudhary and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) Om Prakash Rajbhar at Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Modi, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo also, in a sarcastic vein, said that Modi should have known about Russian President Vladimir Putin's plans to invade Ukraine as he had claimed that the latter was his "friend."

''Why did the prime minister not start the evacuation earlier if knew that a war was imminent?'' she said. ''Modi is busy addressing election rallies at a time when Indian students are facing problems in Ukraine...Is it so important?'' Mamata said.

She also referred to the protests by BJP workers and waving of black flags while she was on her way to the Dashashwamedh Ghat on the bank of the Ganga in Varanasi on Wednesday evening and alleged that the saffron party workers hit her vehicle with sticks and shouted slogans against her.

''Some BJP goondas hit my vehicle and asked me to return to Bengal...I want to tell them that I have faced bullets and was assaulted several times in the past....I am not afraid of them...I got down from my car to face them....they are cowards..the attack shows BJP's desperation and proves that BJP's end is near,'' Mamata said.

''Why can't I visit Kashi, Mathura, Ayodhya? Millions visit Bengal on the occasion of Gangasagar Mela....no one stops them from going there,'' she added.

Mamata said that she had no problems in chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' but added that she belonged to the land of Goddess Durga, who Lord Rama also worshiped. ''Instead of Jai Shri Ram, we should say Jai Siyaram'' she remarked.

The Bengal CM also chanted a mantra, which is recited while worshipping Goddess Kali, and said that BJP leaders were not true Indians. ''A true Indian never indulges in Hindu-Muslim politics,'' she added.

Mamata launched a scathing attack on UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath saying that he was in fact a "dhongi" (fake Yogi). ''I have come to know that he (Adityanath) is telling the villagers to vote for him as he had provided them ration.....I want to tell him that our government in Bengal provides ration to the people of the state throughout the year,'' she said.

Akhilesh, who also addressed the meeting, accused the BJP leaders of "lying" and said that the saffron party had seen the writing on the wall. ''BJP knows that it is going to lose the polls,'' he said.

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