West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has used the local snack jhalmuri as a springboard to launch her most aggressive national pitch yet amid the state elections in which her party Trinamool Congress (TMC) is taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
As the state moves through a tense election cycle, the West Bengal chief minister on Friday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling party for their “jhalmuri” election campaign, calling it stage-managed optics and a political stunt.
“They had fitted TV cameras and CCTV cameras earlier with the security. They had prepared jhalmuri from home for security concerns and gave ₹10 to the shopkeeper,” she said at an election rally in Bowbazar.
She also criticised the arrangements made during the PM’s visit, referring to the installation of CCTV cameras at the shop.
‘I’ll give bhelpuri from Delhi’
They said they will eat jhalmuri if they win, but I say I will give you bhelpuri from Delhi, Mamata Banerjee said.
“First, they showed a ‘chai-wala’, and now they are showing jhal muri to win the election,” she added.
The CM accused the BJP of attempting to polarise culture and identity. “We are habitual of spicy jhalmuri, but have you ever tried fish and chicken curry? I eat your dhokla, I eat dosa, I eat litti, I eat thekua, I eat sattu. I eat vermicelli during Eid, and I eat halwa. Don’t teach me religion,” she added.
Modi’s ‘jhalmuri’ remarks
Banerjee’s remarks come amid heated exchanges with Modi, who earlier used the “jhalmuri” reference at a rally. He said it had unsettled the ruling party and targetted the TMC over governance and citizenship issues.
“You must wave the flag of the BJP-NDA’s victory with full strength. On May 4, the celebration of the BJP’s victory will also take place in Bengal, sweets will also be distributed, and jhalmuri will also be handed out. Jhalmuri has also given a thunderous shock to some people. I ate the jhal muri, but the jhal (spice) hit TMC,” Modi said at a rally in Krishnanagar.
Mamata vows to conquer Delhi
Mamata Banerjee on Thursday also declared her intent to challenge the BJP nationally. “I will conquer Delhi… I will do so by rallying all the political parties together… what I desire is the complete dismantling of the BJP in Delhi,” she said at a rally in Chowringhee.
“I have noted down the names of everyone who is acting as a broker for the BJP, from A to Z, including the location of each of their homes,” she said.
“You do not possess the capability to defeat us… I will conquer Delhi, rest assured of that, once I have secured victory in Bengal, and I will do so by rallying all the political parties together. I do not covet the seat of power; what I desire is the complete dismantling of the BJP in Delhi. While their destruction in Bengal is inevitable, the BJP must be ousted from Delhi as well.”
Have they fixed EVMs?
She also raised questions about alleged misuse of technology in polls. Speaking about the upcoming second phase of the Assembly elections and the first phase which concluded on April 23, the CM asked, “Have they fixed the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)? Otherwise, how can they be so confident about the election?” she said.
In phase 2 of the West Bengal Assembly elections, 142 constituencies will go to polls on April 29.
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