Karnataka Election 2023: Mamata Banerjee asks people of the state not to vote for BJP

Ahead of the Karnataka Election 2023, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged people in election-bound state to vote for stability and development. Addressing the media, she said, “My only appeal to brothers and sisters in Karnataka is that please vote for stability and development. I appeal that please don’t vote for the BJP. They are dangerous.”

Banerjee also raised concern about the present scenario in violence-hit Manipur, alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party administration is failing to provide a clear picture of the death toll in the northeastern state where "shoot-at-sight" orders are in effect.

"I am very concerned about the situation in Manipur. We don't have a clear picture of the number of deaths in shoot-at-sight (order) because the state government won't give us any information," she explained.

Also Read | West Bengal bans 'The Kerala Story', BJP claims DMK conspiracy in Tamil Nadu

Manipur's violence is a man-made problem, according to Banerjee. She further chastised the BJP administration at the Centre for not sending even one person to Manipur to assess the situation.

"Whenever something happens in Bengal, hundreds of central teams are dispatched here to defame us. However, because Manipur is a BJP-ruled state, nothing is being done. However, people want to know the figures," Mamata Banerjee explained.

Addressing the media, she further said: "Manipur is burning. We dont know how many people have died in shootouts. The figure is not provided by the government. I won’t bring politics here, but people want to know how many died. If anything happens here(West Bengal), they send central teams and defend their decision by giving lots of explanations."

Also Read | 'Do not demoralize soldiers...' Army debunks fake news over Manipur 'battle' claim

Meanwhile, Banerjee also said the Bengal government has decided to ban the controversial movie 'The Kerala Story'. “This is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, and to maintain peace in the state,” Banerjee said at a press briefing at the state secretariat. "What is "The Kashmir Files"? it is to humiliate one section. What is "The Kerala Story"?... It is a distorted story," Banerjee added.