'Modiji has only six months left,' Mamata Banerjee says reaching out to Muslim community ahead of 2024 polls

The BJP has said it expects to win at least 35 of Bengal's 42 Lok Sabha seats, which is a big jump from the 18 seats it bagged in 2019.

Speaking at a conference of Muslim religious leaders in Kolkata, Banerjee highlighted schemes and programmes rolled out by her administration for the benefit of Muslims in the state and announced a hike of Rs. 500 in monthly allowance for imams.

She also announced a similar increase for Hindu priests.

The Muslim vote plays an important role in Bengal elections as they form a significant 27.01 percent of the state's total population, according to data from the 2011 census.

"When I participated in breaking roza (fast) during the month of Ramadan, a lot of people ridiculed me and the BJP even changed my name. I have nothing to lose from it. What I will do is my personal choice. I will ensure no religion fights another religion. People are one and humanity is one," she said.

"However... when I participate in adivasi dances, they have nothing to say. They are only angry about the minority population. They suffer ant bites when it comes to minorities," Banerjee said.

The BJP has accused the Bengal CM of practicing appeasement politics for political gains given the electoral importance of the Muslim population in the state.

"Nowadays, some BJP leaders are paying some people in cash to divide the minority community so they are divided among themselves... eventually they (the BJP) gain. The CPIM is shameless... they form alliances at the panchayat level, where they, the BJP and Congress come together. This is not hidden. It is out in the open. They have found a new leader they promote with money and they run false campaigns and start riots. They are doing this," she said.

"And Modiji has only six months left. After that Modiji will not be in power. Whatever needs to be done to defeat Modiji we will do. But I am their target. You know why? They want to divide votes in Bengal and make up for the seats that they are losing elsewhere in the country. Don't make that mistake," the Bengal CM said.

Meanwhile, the BJP has accused Mamata Banerjee of squeezing minorities for profit.

Suvendu Adhikari, a BJP MLA and the Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, slammed the 'so-called Secular Party' in power in the state and thanked union minister Smriti Irani for initiating a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into an alleged scam involving scholarships for minority communities.

"This is how minority communities are squeezed for profit in a state governed by a 'so-called secular party'... almost 830 institutions involved with this scholarship programme have been found to be 'fake'... leading to a scam of ₹ 144.83 crore in the past 5 years," Adhikari declared.