Everyone In My Party Is Honest, Says Mamata Banerjee - Transcript

Kolkata: In her first interview in the midst of a high octane battle for Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tells NDTV's Prannoy Roy that her party is not worried about the outcome - "BJP, Congress, CPI(M) can't win Bengal". She also rules out any chance of a post-poll alliance with the Congress saying, "I don't need them any more".

Here is the transcript of the interview:

Prannoy Roy: We have been hearing a lot of speeches and debates from both sides, the one thing is... and we talked to a lot of people, they are saying you are totally not corrupt but your party is corrupt. What do you react to that?

Mamata Banerjee: It is absolutely wrong. It is BJP propaganda and Congress, CPM. Can you show me one example? It is a political vendetta to malign my party. They know they cannot do anything to me so this is their propaganda every time. It is absolutely propaganda.

Prannoy Roy: Everybody says you are honest.

Mamata Banerjee: No, no... all are honest. In your organisation if say you are honest and all your people are chor, will you accept that?

Shekhar Gupta: But BJP does not have such a big stake in West Bengal, why will they target you? You are saying they are targeting you.

Mamata Banerjee: But they are doing all nuisance here, I don't know why. One political party must respect... the courtesy, at least the behaviour... one political party must behave goodly with another political party, whatever is possible within the political jurisdiction. But now I am watching, they are using bad language and filthy language that I have never seen. They have crossed all limits.  

Dorab Sopariwala: Bengal is a state of artists, of culture... why is there so much violence? In the last 50 or 60 years during elections?

Mamata Banerjee: There is no violence here. This election only person killed but that is also not done. In municipal elections, panchayat elections nothing was there. In 2014 election also nobody killed. Political violence earlier Left is reason. In political violence Bengal was number one, now it is not there. This election one person killed is that also in Murshidabad. There is a history, in Murshidabad in 2003 and 2008, 40 people were killed in one day.

Prannoy Roy: You said that you are not corrupt, your party is also not corrupt but those videos that came out and all that?

Mamata Banerjee: That is BJP planted, Congress planted.

Prannoy Roy: You don't accept that at all?

Mamata Banerjee: The investigation is going on. We will do it after the elections is over. After election has been announced, after candidature has been announced it is their political game and political vendetta. I think they will get the justice also. This man came 2-3 days ago, he met CPM MP Salim, Surendra Singh Alhuwalia talked to him, so...

Prannoy Roy: You are not justifying, you are saying investigation is on

Mamata Banerjee: BJP, Congress and CPM, they get money for this.

Shekhar Gupta: Were you taken by surprise by Congress-CPM coalition?

Mamata Banerjee: It is a blunder of Congress because Congress is fighting the battle in Kerala against the CPM and here the adjustment. Congress has lost all credentials, they cannot do alone in any state, so they have to pick and choose one political party... that is the phenomena. And CPM, it is their greatest blunder, I don't know why they allowed. The CPM party will be finished for that. The Left Front has no existence and after these elections you will see CPM will be great losers.

Prannoy Roy: After elections if Congress wants to join you or help you, will you accept? Are they enemy forever or someday can be friends?

Mamata Banerjee: No, I don't need. Whatever filthy language they used including all leaders from Delhi... I never criticised Rajiv Gandhi's family, this time all they criticised...

Prannoy Roy: So you are not going to forgive them?

Mamata Banerjee: Who am I to forgive them? It is the people. But I am not going with them.

Dorab Sopariwala: Miss Banerjee, the BJP did well in Lok Sabha, the general consensus is that this they won't do as well this time. Whom will their votes go to? If they go down from 17% to say 8%, who will get those votes?

Mamata Banerjee: Why they are doing all this nuisance? They are satisfying who? I think there is an understanding between CPM, Congress and BJP, I am telling you the fact. Because if you don't have understanding then why they are doing all nuisance. They know Bengal they cannot win the elections... why they are doing it, that is my question also.

Prannoy Roy: Are you welcoming industry to Bengal because we just came from Singur and I just think that if the Tatas had come, wonderful company, there would have been schools, there would have been hospitals. So was Singur a bad signal or are you welcoming industry?

Mamata Banerjee: I am very clear about that... from the beginning we are saying that 1,000 acres of lands are there, 600 acres let Tata develop... I have no problem. Only 400 acres where landless labourers are there, agricultural labourers are there, give them their land. They have not yet taken any money. So I am not against Tata or anyone, we are giving all the tenders to them, they are getting tenders.

Prannoy Roy: You are welcoming them but was Singur a bad signal?

Mamata Banerjee: Not welcoming but they are getting all the job done for Bengal, they are doing so many work... I have no problem for that. They are not my personal enemy but Singur I want 400 acres for landless labourers, it should come back to them.

Prannoy Roy: It didn't give a bad image?

Mamata Banerjee: No, not at all. The matter is sub-judice, let the matter is settled. If they are interested then I am interested to give them 600 acres of land. We have no problem. I have no political vendetta.

Prannoy Roy: Some other place?

Mamata Banerjee: No, no... that place also they can do it. 600 acres they can do it, 400 acres let it be returned to the farmers.

Shekhar Gupta: Nitish has said that all secular parties should get together against the BJP, today you are fighting Congress and Left so how can you become part of that anti-BJP coalition.

Mamata Banerjee: Who wants? Myself or them? Who is the party? Who want? Who are doing this nuisance? It is Congress, it is not me. They are quarrelling with Kejriwal, they are quarrelling with me, why they are doing this? If they want to do a really good front then they should have choose their friends, they don't know how is their friend, that is their problem.

Shekhar Gupta: Will you help Kejriwal in Punjab?

Mamata Banerjee: I want to help him.

Prannoy Roy: What do you think of Mr Modi's performance as Prime Minister in the last 2 years, his anniversary is coming up.

Mamata Banerjee: Nothing is there... only bhaashan. And silence is golden in this regard.