'Industrial growth has stopped, only PM Modi's beard is growing': Mamata Banerjee

Launching a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the industrial growth has stopped but only his beard is growing.

To continue its stride in Bengal especially after an overwhelming result in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in the state, the party has brought Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party president JP Nadda and many others in the campaign fray for the West Bengal elections.

Addressing a public meeting in Debra, Banerjee said, "They have two syndicates. One is the rioter who created riots in Delhi, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. And, the other one...Industrial growth has stopped. Only his (PM Modi's) beard is growing. He thinks of himself above Gandhiji and Rabindranath Tagore. Sometimes he calls himself Swami Vivekananda. He renamed a stadium after his own name. One day he will sell the country and name it after himself. Something is wrong with his brain. It seems his screw is loose."

TMC and BJP are at loggerheads ahead of the assembly elections in West Bengal.

The ambitious BJP has done intense campaigning with the goal to topple the incumbent TMC government in the state.

On the other hand, Mamata Banerjee did not miss any stage to launch scathing attacks on the top BJP leadership. "We do not want to see Modi's face. We do not want rioters and looters. We do not want Duryodhana and Dushasana," she had said while mounting veiled attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The first phase of the assembly polls will be kicked off on Saturday. In the first phase, 30 seats covering all assembly constituencies from the districts of Purulia and Jhargram and a segment of Bankura, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur will go for polls.

Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

( With inputs from ANI )