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News Desk: 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.
“Netaji gave us Jai Hind which is world famous, Bankim Chandra the national song Vande Mataram and Rabindranath Tagore gave us our national anthem. All these came from the soil of Bengal. However hard the attempt to malign Bengal (is made), I believe one day, the whole world will salute Bengal. From Nobel Prize to everything else, it is all from Bengal. We will not allow Bengal to turn into Gujarat,” the Chief Minister warned.
