Polemics on Mamata's gifts to Modi continues

The political slugfest over Mamata Banerjee sending gifts to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on occasions continued on Friday with the West Bengal Chief Minister poking fun at Modi while the state opposition parties posed why the matter had been kept secret so long.

"From Bengal, we will give your rosogolla. We will make rosogolla of clay, and mix small stone chips into it, just like one puts cashew nuts in laddoos. It will break your teeth," Banerjee said at an election rally in Raniganj of West Burdwan district.

In a candid conversation with actor Akshay Kumar, Modi revealed on Wednesday that Banerjee, otherwise one of his most vocal critic, herself selects kurtas and gifts them to him every year.

He also said Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina used to send him special sweets every year from Dhaka. When Banerjee came to know about it, she also started sending him Bengali sweets on "one or two occasions every year".

On Friday, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury questioned the need of keeping the matter a hush-hush and also wondered why Modi has made the matter public now.

"Why is it a secret that has to be told by Modi publicly now? Did you hear earlier ever about didi (Mamata Banerjee) choosing kurtas for Modi? Why is this secrecy? Something else is behind the fact, something else is in the front. This is a classic example of Kushti and dosti," Yechury said.

Uttar Pradesh Congress President Raj Babbar, who held a media meet here, commented that Banerjee never sent any gift to him. "She has not sent it to others. She sends it to only one person," Babbar said.

"So you can understand she even knows the size of the kurta. We have always raised questions on whether he (Modi) has a 56 inch chest or not. Mamataji knew the correct size and started sending kurta," he added.

Babbar, however, drew flak from Trinamool Secretary General Partha Chatterjee, who said the film star did not know courtesy.

"He is not as experienced in politics, as he is on cinema. He doesn't know courtesy. He does not understand that courtesy and politics are not same," said Chatterjee.IANS