West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that ‘everything has been turned to saffron’ including the practice jersey of the Indian cricket team.
The Bengal CM alleged that the BJP has introduced saffron colour not only in the practice jerseys of the cricket team but also in painting metro stations.
“They are trying to paint the entire country saffron. We are proud of our Indian players, and I believe they will be champions in the World Cup. But they (BJP) brought in saffron colours there as well, and our boys now practice in saffron-coloured jerseys. The Metro stations have been painted saffron. This is unacceptable,” Banerjee was quoted as saying by ANI.
The Indian Cricket team’s match jersey is blue in colour and the orange kit is worn by the team during practice sessions. Taking a swipe at the BJP, Banerjee also said that the country belongs to the janata (people) of the nation, not just the janata of the party.
"I don't have problems with them erecting statues, but they are trying to turn everything saffron. I had once seen that Mayawati had made a statue of herself. After that, I hadn't heard of anything like this. These theatrics cannot always lead to benefits. Power comes and goes,” she said.
Hitting out at the Centre for withholding funds for the state, the TMC chief said that the central government is prompt in spending crores on front-page advertisements but has stopped the "due funds of the state, thus depriving thousands of (MGNREGA) workers in the state."
The BJP sharply reacted to Banerjee’s remarks and called her allegations as a ‘reflection of a vindictive approach’. "After a few days, she might question why our national flag has saffron colour in it. We don't deem it fit even to react to such statements,” BJP leader Rahul Sinha was quoted as saying by PTI.