West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee expresses concerns Over Potential Preponement of 2024 General Elections

According to the West Bengal CM, the BJP party has already turned the country into a nation in the throes of animosity among communities. If they return to power, it will make our country a nation of hatred.

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee voiced her apprehensions on Monday regarding the possibility of the 2024 general elections being rescheduled to an earlier date. Addressing a public gathering at Mayo Road in Kolkata on the occasion of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad's foundation day, CM Banerjee speculated that the upcoming Lok Sabha polls might be conducted as soon as December.

Taking aim at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) once again, Banerjee implored the public to end what she called the "saffron rule" at the centre for the sake of the nation. She expressed her concerns about the potential consequences of the BJP returning to power for a third consecutive term, suggesting that it could lead to an autocratic regime. "I am apprehensive that they (BJP) could hold the Lok Sabha elections in December 2023 itself," Banerjee said.

According to the Chief Minister, the BJP's governance has contributed to a climate of animosity among different communities within the country. She cautioned that if the BJP were to continue in power, this could transform the nation into a breeding ground for hatred. Banerjee highlighted what she saw as a pre-emptive move by the BJP, claiming that they have already secured all available helicopters for their election campaign, potentially preventing other political parties from utilizing them for canvassing purposes.

IIn her efforts to underscore the BJP's alleged conspiratorial actions against the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Banerjee asserted that a plot was being devised to detain TMC General Secretary and her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, through central agencies prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. "Abhishek Banerjee would be arrested before the Lok Sabha election," she asserted.

Not limiting her criticism to the BJP alone, the TMC leader also directed her attention towards the Left Front, who remain in opposition to the ruling party in the state. Banerjee confidently declared, "We had defeated the three-decade-long CPI(M) rule in Bengal and will now defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections."

Turning her focus to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP, and their recent incendiary "goli maro" (shoot them) slogans raised at Jadavpur University, Banerjee exhibited her determination to maintain order. She announced that she had instructed the police to apprehend those responsible for the hate slogans at the renowned university. "Those raising such slogans should not forget this is Bengal; this is not Uttar Pradesh," she firmly asserted.