Mamata, Modi "two sides of the same coin": Sonia

Sujapur/Muraroi (WB), Apr 13: Launching a frontal attack on TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today accused her of unleashing 'tanasahi' (autocracy) in West Bengal and said the chief minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are "two sides of the same coin".

"The people in Bengal are facing 'tanashahi' of the Centre and the Mamata government. Mamata has not kept her promises to the poor, the minorities and the backward. We had believed in her promises and supported TMC in the 2011 assembly poll," she told election meetings.

"Bengal has never witnessed such a situation as it is witnessing now. It is witnessing authoritarian rule of both Modi government and the Mamata government," she said.

Gandhi alleged that the women in Bengal faced the maximum atrocities despite the state having a woman chief minister, while farmers are deprived of just prices for their products. "The poor have no job but Mamata government is not concerned.

Describing Modi and Mamata as "two sides of the same coin", the Congress president said, "Both (Narendra) Modi and Mamata bluffed the people". Indicating understanding between Modi and Mamata, Gandhi said, "When BJP government gets into a trouble in Parliament, TMC helps it and in return Narendra Modi turns a blind eye to anti-people policies of Mamata Banerjee," she said.

"Did the Modi government or Mamata Banerjee take any action against those who have looted lakhs of people in the name of chit funds?" she asked.

The Mamata government, she said, has betrayed Bengal and the Modi government has done the same to the people of the country.

"Mamata did not arrest those who are involved in chit fund scam and Modi helped those who have looted banks to flee the country safely," Gandhi said in an apparent reference to the Vijay Mallya case.

Turning to Trinamool Congress's(TMC) slogan of "Ma-Mati-Manush"(Mother-Soil-Humanity), she said "Ma is suffering, Mati is drying up and Manush are facing hardship and unemployment".

Gandhi alleged that a government has come to power at the Centre which has nothing to do with democracy and said that Mamata Banerjee did not raise her voice when Congress government in Uttarakhand was dismissed.

Congress is fighting the election in alliance with the Left. All 12 Congress-Left alliance candidates of Malda district were present at Gandhi's meetings.

PTI