There is no alternative to Trinamool Congress: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister MamataBanerjee on Thursday said there is no alternative to herTrinamool Congress (TMC) and no other party can take its placein the state.

Banerjee, who is also the TMC supremo, was addressinga meeting of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe leaders ofthe party here.

''Only the Trinamool Congress is the alternative tothe Trinamool Congress, it will go for bettering itself.

''No other party can take its place since it hasprovided the most people-friendly government in the world,''she said.

Alleging that the BJP is a ''dangerous party'' which has''sold off'' the country, Banerjee said that the saffron partyneeds to look into the mirror before eyeing West Bengal, whereassembly elections are due in April-May.

''Assembly elections will be announced in four to fivedays,'' the chief minister said.

Claiming that the BJP has destroyed 'Sonar Bharat'(golden India) and is now talking of creating 'Sonar Bangla',the TMC supremo said, the saffron party is indulging in falsepropaganda using social media.

The TMC supremo claimed that people are suffering inBJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar,Assam and Tripura.

Banerjee said that the saffron party thinks that itcan form the government in West Bengal by taking into its fold''some traitors'' from the TMC.

''Those who resort to violence and have ill-gottenwealth go to the BJP to save their money, nobody goes out oflove,'' she said, wondering whether the saffron party hadturned itself into a washing machine that could cleanse''tainted leaders''.

''If migrant workers die, they don't spend a rupee, buthire jet planes to fly corrupt leaders to Delhi,'' she said.

Banerjee claimed that people will not forgive thosewho betray Bengal despite living in the state.

''People respect Siraj ud-Daulah, but not Mir Jafar,''she said.

Siraj-ud-Daulah was the last independent Nawab ofBengal. The end of his reign marked the start of the EastIndia Company rule over Bengal and later almost all of theIndian subcontinent. Betrayed by Mir Jafar, the commander ofthe Nawab's army, he lost the Battle of Plassey in 1757 andthe administration of Bengal fell into the hands of the EastIndia Company.

Banerjee said that some artistes have claimed that theBJP IT cell was pressuring them to make statements in favourof the saffron party in the social media.

Urging people belonging to the scheduled castes andtribes to support her party in the coming elections, she said,''They have taken many seats from you in Jangalmahal and northBengal, they have got all MPs from the region but have theygiven anything?'' The TMC could not win any seat in north Bengal andJangalmahal area in the western districts of the state in the2019 Lok Sabha elections.

''While we have done everything for the relief ofpeople affected by cyclone Amphan, we have faced criticism forone or two gaffes,'' Banerjee said.

Opposition parties, including the BJP, Congress and theLeft Front, have been vocal in alleging that Amphan relieffunds had been misappropriated by TMC leaders and workers.

Mentioning that the Central government must repeal theCitizenship Amendment Act, she claimed that its existence is a''constant threat'' to the citizens of the country.

People must not be intimidated by the NationalRegister of Citizens (NRC) or the National Population Register(NPR), Banerjee said.

Claiming that the TMC government was working for thewelfare of the SC and ST communities, the chief minister said,nearly 18 lakh people have been given caste certificatesthrough the 'Duare Sarkar' (government at doorsteps)programme.

Criticising the Union budget allocation for roadconstruction projects in West Bengal, she said that hergovernment has already built 85,000 km of roads in the stateand is working on the upgradation of the existing Siliguri-Kolkata highway.

The TMC supremo also criticised the Centre for thespiralling fuel prices.

She said that while farmers are agitating for thelast 70 days demanding repeal of three farm laws, oppositionparty leaders, including TMC MP Saugata Roy, were not allowedto enter the dharna area at Singhu border.

Banerjee lost her cool at the beginning of her addresswhen a few people rose to make some demands.

''I do what I can but I cannot do everything, I am notGod,'' she said, asserting that she has given everything to thepeople, but still demands are being made,'' Banerjee said.

The TMC supremo alleged that disturbances were beingpurposefully created in her public meetings at the instigationof the CPI(M) and the BJP.

Maintaining that she accedes to requests and properdemands, Banerjee asserted that she cannot be blackmailed.

''I am a streetfighter, I cannot be intimidated to doanything,'' she said.

Maintaining that people in Bengal are living in peaceand are happy, she said that former Tripura chief ministerManik Sarkar has said that the situation is bad in the BJP-ruled north-eastern state.