LUCKNOW: A day after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was shown black flags amid slogans of "Mamata go back" on her arrival at Varanasi by right wing workers, the Trinamool Congress chief on Thursday said the "protests indicate that they (BJP) are going out of power".
Addressing the first mega rally of Samajwadi Party and its alliance partners that was jointly addressed by Akhilesh Yadav in Varanasi – the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mamata said she had been attacked several times in past but never been afraid of it. "When they hit my car and raised slogans, I got off my car and stood in front of them and thanked them because for me it was a sign that BJP was aware that it was losing the elections in UP,” the TMC chief said adding: “I have been attacked several times, shot at and beaten by sticks in past, but never gave in... I am not a coward, I am a fighter."
Describing BJP’s targeted attack on her as an example of how the saffron party disrespects women, she said the BJP always urges people to say "Jai Sri Ram" when traditionally the people of India have always preferred "Jai Siyaram" (glory to Sita and Ram). "They never honour women," she said, adding that why does the BJP have objections over her visit to Varanasi. "I am an Indian and can go anywhere be it Varanasi, Azamgarh or any other district. We have people from UP in Bengal, we always welcome them," she said, adding that if people vote out BJP from UP in these elections, the Prime Minister would be voted out from the Centre in 2024.
