Lucknow: Attacking Narendra Modi for claiming that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav said Wednesday the Prime Minister should be ‘banned for 72 years’ for his ‘shameful’ speech.
The Election Commission (EC) has recently barred several leaders including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu from campaigning for 72 hours due to poll code violations.
“Vikas (development) is asking… Did you hear the shameful speech of Pradhanji (PM)? After losing the faith of 125 crore countrymen, he (Modi) is now relying on the unethical assurance of defection allegedly given by the 40 MLAs,” tweeted Akhilesh. “This reflects his (Modi) black money mentality. He should be banned for not 72 hours but for 72 years,” added the former CM of UP.
On the campaign trail Tuesday in West Bengal’s Serampore Lok Sabha seat in Hoogly district and Barrackpore constituency in North 24 Parganas, Modi assailed TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee over her Prime Ministerial ambitions, saying “Didi, Dilli door hai (Delhi is far away).”
He had added: “Didi, even your MLAs will desert you when the results of this election are out. Your 40 MLAs are in touch with me and all your MLAs will desert you once the BJP wins the election. Political ground has slipped from under your feet. 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.”
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership was quick to hit back, accusing the Prime Minister of horse trading, and stating that it would complain to the EC about it.