She added tongue-in-cheek: “The only difference is she’s beautiful and I am not.”
On Saturday, while campaigning for TMC candidate Nusrat Jahan in Basirhat, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said that there was no difference between her and the Bengali actor.
Banerjee said at a rally: “Nusrat and I are Hindu and Muslim, but we are exactly the same. We have one face, to ears, two eyes, 2 kidneys, two arms, one liver.”
She added tongue-in-cheek: “The only difference is she’s beautiful and I am not.”
1. BJP desperate for votes in Bengal: Mamata
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are looking at the state for votes as the party has fared badly in the last five phases of Lok Sabha polls.
Modi is losing confidence as he is sure to lose the election, she said and urged the electorate not to vote for BJP.
"Where will BJP get the numbers from ? In Uttar Pradesh, its count will reduce from 73 to 13 or 17. In other states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Rajashthan, Punjab and Odisha the party will draw a blank.
Its seats will reduce in Madhya Pradesh also", Banerjee said at a public meeting here in support of Trinamool Congress candidate Nusrat Jahan.
Urging voters not to vote for the saffron party, she said "We do not want BJP. Show the door to the party through votes. In Bengal, Trinamool Congress should win all the 42 seats which will help it to have some control in the formation of the new government at the Centre".
She alleged that BJP, Congress and CPI(M) are of the same kind. "Some people are supporting BJP in the morning, Congress in the afternoon and CPI(M) in the night. So voting any of the three will be a waste. Vote for Trinamool Congress".
Continuing her tirade against Modi, Banerjee said in the last parliamentary polls he had said a lot of things and became the prime minister. "But what work has he done in the last five years ?"
The chief minister claimed that Trinamool Congress is the only party which has the "guts" to fight BJP. "BJP has kept the entire country petrified. Captured institutions like RBI, CBI, Income Tax and the ED.
2. BJP has started lynching syndicates
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"Instead of giving food, shelter and clothing, BJP has dismatled the Planning Commission with Niti Aayog and shown how to create riots ... It started cow vigilantism and lynching syndicates", she said.
Modi and BJP president Amit Shah have often attacked the TMC by accusing it of running 'syndicates raj'.
Banerjee, a known critic of the BJP, alleged that prices had risen during its rule and is going to increase more after the elections.
"Nathuram Godse (who killed Mahatama Gandhi) is now BJP's leader. They (BJP) have forgotten Netaji who gave the Jai Hind slogan."
3. Who is Nusrat Jahan?
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Nusrat Jahan is one of the most popular face in today's Bengali entertainment industry. Originally hailing from Kolkata, she has done movies with big banners and top stars in her relatively short acting career.
A former model, Nusrat did her first movie with Jeet in 2011. She has subsequently done movies like Crisscross, Bolo Dugga Maiki, Kelor Kirti, Har Har Byomkesh, Jamai 420 opposite A- listers . She has a huge following on social media too. Nusrat has faced trolling from fundamentalists for wishing people during Durga Puja.
4. Nusrat's TMC connection
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Nusrat like Mimi, is a regular in all major cultural and political events hosted by either the state government or TMC. However, not many people would have known about her getting a ticket in the Lok Sabha polls, though Nusrat herself had given a cryptic hint few days back. Reacting to her candidature, Nusrat said that it is a huge responsibility and that she is thrilled to have joined politics.
5. Battle for Basirhat
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Basirhat located in North 24 Parganas has come to news several times in the last few years owing to reports of communal disharmony. During 2017, Baduria riots in Basirhat meant that the entire area was tensed for several days before slowly law and order situation stabilised.
TMC has won the seat consecutively twice, but they have been forced to change candidates repeatedly.
6. Nursat to woo young voters
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With Nusrat Jahan, TMC hopes to woo the young voters and also the considerable section of minority voters in this lok sabha seat. Nusrat is extremely popular among the youth and TMC hopes that she can face the stern BJP test. BJP has gained significant strength in this border adjoining seat. Basirhat is one of the main seats where the saffron party is hoping to win. The Left too has a pocket of influence here, and is likely to eat into the anti- TMC votes.
Basirhat can be a touch and go seat, depending on the fight shown by the opposition and Nusrat's candidature may just turn out to be a Mamata masterstroke.
