Union Minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur hit out at the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress party for an increase in violence ahead of the upcoming Panchayat elections in the state.
According to Mr Thakur, violence and corruption are the new normal in West Bengal.
"Violence and corruption are the new normal in Bengal. Violence has increased ahead of the upcoming Panchayat elections. Bengal is known for cash-for-the-job," he said.
"During UPA there was so much corruption but today under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, there is no corruption," he added.
The West Bengal panchayat elections will be held in a single phase on July 8. The counting of votes will be done on July 11.
Earlier, West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday alleged that the Trinamool Congress government was creating an atmosphere of fear in the run-up to the panchayat polls.
The Congress leader said that their apprehension of the panchayat polls not being conducted peacefully in the state was coming true.
Panchayat polls in West Bengal will witness a fierce contest between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool as it will be seen as a litmus test ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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