Mamata Banerjee today kicked off her mega Martyrs' Day rally in Kolkata.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ripped into the state BJP today over its demand that she return all the "cut money" -- commission to deliver free government services allegedly amassed by her partymen -- before holding her annual mega rally in Kolkata. The BJP should first pay the Rs 15 lakh it promised to the people, she said.
"Cut money? You are asking TMC to return cut money? Give us back the promised 15 lakh black money," the furious Chief Minister said at the Martyr's rally in Kolkata today, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election while vowing that his government would bring back the black money stashed abroad.
Dubbing the BJP the "biggest dacoits" she said, "Where did the BJP get all the black money with which you have built offices everywhere? Money that you got from demonetisation....return the money."
"Give back the cut money taken for Ujjwala, for petrol pumps... Your own colleagues are sending me details. Thieves shout the loudest," Mamata Banerjee said at a rally in Kolkata today. Claiming she has "papers", she said, "Let Ujjwala scheme be investigated".
On Saturday, Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh had said the TMC leaders "must pay back cut money before heading to Kolkata for the rally."
"We will not allow any of the TMC leaders to leave for the rally if they do not return the cut money they had taken from people. We will drag them out of the buses," Mr Ghosh said.
At today's rally, Ms Banerjee said the BJP had indeed tried to stop supporters from coming to the rally in Kolkata. She has also accused the Central government of pulling out a number of trains.