Mamata Banerjee broke into a dance at the opening of a music festival.
Kolkata:
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee opened a music festival and even broke into a dance, in an interlude from the heavy-duty campaign for the state election in four months.
Taking a time-out in her intense sparring with the BJP, Mamata Banerjee honoured several folk artistes in the event, including musicians, singers and dancers.
As the Chief Minister felicitated celebrated Santhal dancer Basanti Hembram, she was seen urging her to show her some moves. Someone called for music and then, she not just tapped her feet but was even seen shaking a leg.
But the elections are never far from her mind and her comments later in the event targeted the BJP.
In a brief speech, she called for unity and said Bengal would never be allowed to turn into Gujarat, taking a dig at the BJP’s repeated claim of applying the “Gujarat model of development” in Bengal.
The national anthem, the national song and the ”Jai Hind” slogan were all given to the world by Bengal, Ms Banerjee said.
“One day the entire world will salute Bengal. The soil of Bengal is the source of life. We have to protect this soil. We have to take pride in this. There is no one who can come from outside and say this place will be turned into Gujarat,” the Chief Minister warned, once again raising the “outsider” tag for the BJP, which is campaigning aggressively to challenge her rule.
