'Plaster the Centre or country will be destroyed': Mamata's dig at Centre over Pegasus scandal

By Team Newsable | First Published Jul 21, 2021, 2:51 PM IST

During the virtual rally, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee hit out at the Centre over the Pegasus scandal and urged the Opposition leaders to unite against the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2024 General Elections.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday hit out at the Centre over a range of issues including fuel hike, Pegasus scandal and urged Opposition to have a united front in the 2024 elections.

Address on Pegasus scandal

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Addressing a virtual rally on Martyrs' Day, Mamata said she could not talk to the Opposition leaders as she knew her phone was being tapped.

"Pegasus is dangerous and ferocious. I cannot talk to anyone. You are paying too much money for spying. I have plastered my phone. We should also plaster the Centre otherwise country will be destroyed," said Banerjee. West Bengal CM added that the Modi government is misusing the central agencies to harass the Opposition. She said that money was collected by the Centre through taxes on the fuel being spent on spying.

“Pegasus is bigger than Watergate,” said the Bengal chief minister, referring to the Watergate scandal that rocked the US government in 1974. The leader further appealed to the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of the fact that all phones were being tapped, adding that the need of the hour “is to save this democracy”.

Urges Opposition to unite for 2024 General Elections

The TMC supremo also urged Opposition parties to unite ahead of the 2024 General elections to halt the BJP juggernaut and said she was keen to meet leaders when she visits Delhi next week. Banerjee said that the opposition must unite to throw out the rule of economic crisis, instability and violence. She said that opposition parties must come together to save the federal structure of the country.

Thanking voters for TMC's victory in West Bengal Assembly Elections

Talking a sly dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) loss in the West Bengal Assembly Elections, she said one game has happened in Bengal and 'another game afoot'. The chief minister further stated that 'Khela' will happen in all states until BJP is removed from the country and will celebrate 'Khela Diwas' on August 16.

This virtual address was beamed live not just across West Bengal but also in states like Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Punjab, Tripura and poll-bound Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

For All India Trinamool Congress, July 21 is a crucial date as it was this day in 1993 that 13 people were shot by the Bengal Police in Kolkata during a rally by West Bengal Youth Congress. The rally was organised under Banerjee's rule demanding that voter ID cards be made the sole document for voting. This incident helped in establishing Banerjee as a leader with no family links in politics and connected her at the grassroots level.

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