Let Centre disconnect my phone, I will not link it with Aadhaar: Mamata

Ahead of the panchayat elections in West Bengal, at a meeting of the All India Trinamool Congress, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the party is ready to go all out to oppose the economic policies that have been undertaken by the BJP-led government at the Centre.

Taking a potshot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she spoke of how people are afraid of the word "mitron" these days.

On the forcible linking of mobile phone numbers to the Aadhaar card, Banerjee urged citizens to no do so. "If the Centre disconnects the phone connection, let them. We will appeal to the highest courts, but we won’t allow anybody to link their phone connection with Aadhaar as the Centre is trying to access the personal data of individuals."

Speaking of how AITC is not looking to be in power at the Centre, she said, "Our only motto is to oust BJP from the Centre. We will remain committed to our demands even if BJP threatens to put every Trinamool Congress leader in jail and threaten them with CBI and ED enquiries.”

Addressing the Trinamool Congress workers at Nazrul Mancha, an auditorium in Kolkata, Banerjee urged all party workers to start the campaign against demonetisation in all the blocks in the state from 8 November till 15 December.

“I urge every Trinamool block president to start the campaign against demonetisation from 8 November. We consider it as black day and I urge Trinamool Congress workers to hit the streets protesting the economic policies of the government,” Banerjee said.

Banerjee gave a warning as well to those who do not wish to work towards this goal. "We want people who are enthusiastic. If leaders do not want to execute these orders, they can leave the party," she said.

According to Banerjee, 50% of businessmen are yet to uplink their business into the new Goods and Services Tax system, meaning business has been badly hit after GST was implemented.

Urging everyone to highlight the "evils of GST" and corruption at the Centre, she said, "We told the Centre not to implement GST early, but the Centre hurriedly implemented it, which later proved to be a blunder.”

Banerjee also warned of how the BJP will try to disrupt the protest by party workers and try and try ad create a division among leaders. To battle that strategy, she said the party needs to be united in their battle against BJP and not allow it to strengthen its base in Bengal.

“During the Assembly elections too, BJP tried to create disturbances in various areas, but despite that, people voted for Trinamool Congress. They can try such strategies in Bihar, but Bengal’s soil is different soil and we won't allow for any communal disharmony to effect the social fabric of the state. I urge panchayat members, MPs and MLAs to coordinate in their efforts to oust BJP front he Centre," she said.

In reply to the CM, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, “Trinamool Congress is afraid of BJP in Bengal, which is why the Trinamool supremo has urged all leaders to be united and oppose our policies ahead of the panchayat election. We will do our bit and highlight scams like Narada and Sarada that have occurred during the Trinamool Congress regime during our campaign. Also, our central leadership has also decided observe an anti-black day from 8 November onwards to counter the Opposition's protest against demonetisation. In West Bengal, we will organise several rallies in various parts of the state highlighting the benefits of demonetisation."