On Sunday, during his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' radio address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to impress the Bengali community by quoting a verse by Aurobindo Ghosh while pitching for the 'Vocal for Local' campaigns.
However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was dismissive of the prime minister reciting a Bengali verse, calling it a "show off."
The chief minister, on Tuesday, pointed out that everything appears before the PM on a teleprompter when he addresses the people and all that Modi is doing is merely reading out what is in front of him. "The public won’t get to see it. Only a few people know this. Earlier, it was a practice in the USA and the UK. Now we are seeing it in India,” Banerjee was quoted as saying while addressing reporters.
According to a Hindustan Times report, the chief minister said apart from Bengali, English and Hidni, she can also speak Naga, Manipuri, Assamese, Marathi, Urdu, Gorkha, Odia, and Nepali. She also claimed that she learnt Vietnamese and a bit of Russian, and added that she does not show off her language skills. "I have seen enough of this drama. I never show off. I feel proud because I can raise their issues and speak for them," she was quoted as saying.
Banerjee, who was addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting, extended support to the ongoing farmers' protest over farm bills, and said the Centre has "snatched their livelihood" and is trying to take away the rights of the farmers. "They (BJP) are trying to curb all democratic and fundamental rights. They cannot curb the democratic rights of the farmers. The Centre has passed a law which is against the interest of the farmers," she said.
(With PTI inputs)
