Mamata Banerjee has been one of PM Modi's most strident critics. (File)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday criticised BJP for its "ill treatment" towards party veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Moshi and said it is "really sad" to see the way the party is treating its founding members.
She also wondered whether this is the way to pay "guru dakshina" to the "guru" (mentor).
"Today I spoke to Adavaniji in the morning. I enquired about his health. He said he felt good that I had called him. It is really sad to see the way BJP is treating its founding members. Murli Manohar Joshiji, Advaniji were the pillars of the BJP. Now he has been left out and how. I don't want to say much more as it is the internal matter of their party," Ms Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said.
Both LK Advani and MM Joshi have been denied tickets by BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in their states.
"Is this the way to pay guru dakshina to your guru (mentor) ?" Ms Banerjee said in an apparent dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The BJP fielded party president Amit Shah from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat and dropped the 91-year-old LK Advani, among the party's member and longest serving chief, who had won six times from that seat in the past. The party has also not given ticket to Murli Manohar Joshi, who had vacated his Benares seat for PM Modi in 2014.
In an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign, Ms Banerjee said she has immense respect for real chowkidars and not for political chowkidars who are trying to derive "political mileage" out of it.
"We have highest regard for the real life chowkidars but not for political chowkidars who are trying to derive political mileage out of it," she said.
She also criticised PM Modi for trying to derive "political mileage" out of the achievements of scientists too.
"Has Modi gone to space or has he done any research? He is just trying to gain political mileage out of it," she said on the prime minister's announcement during the day that the country had demonstrated anti-satellite missile capability by shooting down a live satellite.
Ms Banerjee has been one of PM Modi's most strident critics.