KOLKATA: A war of words on Sunday broke out between Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim and Priyanka Tibrewal, the BJP candidate from the Bhowanipore seat after Hakim said she is a young girl who has been pushed to fight against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the September 30 by-election.
Tibrewal had joined BJP few years back and unsuccessfully contested from the Entally seat in last assembly polls. She is a lawyer who flagged alleged attacks on her party activists after the polls in court cases.
Asked to comment on Hakim's comments, Tibrewal told reporters while out campaigining, "A young girl doesn't forever remain a young girl, a 'bachha' (child). She grows up to face challenges. Obviously my rival Mamata Banerjee and her party campaigner Firhad Hakim are much older than me in age. But I am here to fight the battle, to save democracy, to save people from terror of Trinamool."
Hakim told reporters a day before, "Priyanka Tibrewal is a young girl. She had been defeated earlier in Entally. With no senior BJP functionary ready to contest against Mamata Banerjee in Bhowanipore, they have pushed this young girl into the battlefield."
"My sympathy for Priyanka Tibrewal as she will suffer a crushing defeat. But cannot help as Mamata Banerjee is in the hearts of people of Bhowanipore," Hakim said with a touch of sarcasm.