I am not coward, I am fighter: Mamata Banerjee on BJP's protest over her Varanasi visit

Varanasi, Feb 03: Describing herself as a fighter, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she is not coward during her visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi on Wednesday to campaign for the Samajwadi Party candidate.

Addressing a rally in Varanasi ahead of seventh phase of UP polls, Banerjee said,''I am not scared. I am not a coward. I am a fighter. I faced thrashings & bullets several times in my life. But I never bowed down. Yesterday when they were surrounding me, I got down from my car & faced them to see what they can do. They are cowards.''

''Y'day when I was going to Ghat from airport, I saw some BJP workers -who have nothing else except hooliganism in their brains- stopping my vehicle. They hit my car with sticks & told me to go back. Then I realised that they're gone. Their (BJP) loss is imminent,''she further said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Banerjee was shown black flags amid chants of "Jai Sri Ram" in Varanasi when she was on the way to take part in Ganga Aarti.

As the convoy moved on, BJP supporters showed her black flags and raised slogans of "Mamata Banerjee wapas jao (go back)" and "Jai Shri Ram" in Gadaulia area.

Banerjee sat on the stairs of the Dashashwamedh Ghat to watch 'Ganga Aarti' in an apparent protest against the showing of the black flag to her. Even while the organizers requested her to sit on a chair, Banerjee continued to sit on the stairs.

Banerjee is campaigning for the SP and its allies in Varanasi.

Polling is being held for 57 Assembly constituencies spread across 10 districts, including Gorakhpur, Ambedkarnagar, Ballia, Balrampur, Basti, Deoria, and Kushinagar among others. Polling for the seventh phase, which will be the last, will be held on March 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.