Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed on Monday that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him and will desert their party once the BJP wins the General Election.
The PM's claim invited a sharp reaction from the Trinamool Congress with party leader Derek O' Brien alleging it amounted to horse trading. "We will complain to the EC today," he said.
PM Modi also accused Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee of nepotism, insisting she wants to politically establish her nephew in West Bengal.
Modi also assailed her over her prime ministerial ambitions, saying “Didi, Dilli door hai (Delhi is far away for you).
“Forty TMC MLAs are in touch with me and all your MLAs will desert you once the BJP wins the elections. Political ground has slipped from under your feet,” Modi told an election rally in Sreerampur, targeting the West Bengal chief minister.
Mocking Banerjee for often losing her cool as she was “sensing defeat”, Modi said she cannot even dream of becoming the prime minister.
“With just a handful of seats, ‘Didi’ you can’t reach Delhi. Delhi is far away. Going to Delhi is just an excuse.
Her real intention is to politically establish her nephew,” he said.
Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek is a sitting MP from Diamond Harbour and the TMC candidate for the seat.
Lashing out at opposition parties for questioning the credibility of EVMs, Modi said his rivals have moved on from abusing him to criticising EVMs, as they face “imminent defeat”.
“Earlier, only Modi was abused; now, even EVMs are being abused. The opposition is doing so as it faces imminent defeat,” he said.
He also accused the state’s ruling party of rigging elections, claiming its “goons” were preventing voters from exercising their franchise.