BJP will forget PM Modi's free ration promise if it wins Lok Sabha polls: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday alleged that if the BJP wins next year's Lok Sabha polls, it will forget Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise of extending free ration for five years. The PM had recently announced in a rally in Chhattisgarh that the provision of free ration under the public distribution system will be extended for five years beyond December, and it will benefit around 80 crore people.

Speaking at a public distribution programme in Jalpaiguri district, Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress chief, hit out at the BJP for "failing" to keep its electoral promise of reopening five shut tea gardens in the Darjeeling hills.

She said her government will take over six closed tea gardens in Jalpaiguri district and provide a monthly aid to the workers.


"With elections due only a few months from now, the PM is promising free ration... When they lose the election, they will be nowhere to keep their promise. And even if they win, they will forget their promise. What happened to their promise of transferring Rs 15 lakh to every citizen's bank account?" she said.

"Before the last elections, the BJP had promised to reopen five closed tea gardens in the hills. What happened to that? You do not keep your promises but we keep ours," she said.

Banerjee also directed the district administration to immediately initiate the distribution of pattas (land rights documents) after reviewing the current status of the surplus land in closed tea gardens.

"We will take over six non-operational tea gardens and the workers will get a monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 each," she said.

A senior state government official said that Raipur, Rheabari, Dharanipur, Surendranagar and Red Bank tea gardens in Jalpaiguri are shut.

Banerjee had on Monday distributed land pattas to tea garden workers as well as to those staying in refugee colonies.