MALDA: Congress President Rahul Gandhi hit out at West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Saturday, calling the Trinamool chief a “dictator” as he commenced his campaign in the state from the party stronghold of Malda.
“One person runs Bengal. She never discusses anything with anyone. Atrocities since CPM’s rule have continued during the Trinamool regime. A party ran a government then and now, a person runs it. Don’t
the people of Bengal have a voice?” Rahul said.
Attacking the current MP Mausam Benazir Noor, who has defected from the Grand Old Party to the Trinamool and is now the latter’s candidate, Rahul said her betrayal will not work in a “Congress fort” like Malda Uttar.
The party has fielded Isha Khan Choudhury, a cousin of Noor, in the constituency.
Rahul’s attack on the Trinamool and the Left, which comes even as the BJP is making inroads into the state, is an attempt to retain the Congress vote share and not lose anti-Mamata votes in the party’s few Bengal strongholds.
Rahul also criticised PM Narendra Modi over Rafale and demonetisation. Terming GST the ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’, he promised populist sops if the Congress was voted to power.