Mamata ridicules AAP, BJP for raising funds from dinners, rallies (Lead)

Kolkata, March 22 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday took jibes at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP for raising funds from dinners and rallies attended by their top leaders.

Launching her Trinamool Congress' manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, Banerjee mocked the AAP without naming it in an apparent reference to the recent fund-raising dinner organised in Bangalore during its leader Arvind Kejriwal's visit to the southern city.

"Nowadays, people are even taking money for lunch and dinner. There are different prices for different seats. If you sit in front you pay more... maybe they had different prices for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, different rates for plain water and coloured water," said Banerjee with a chuckle.

While not taking the names of the Bharatiya Janata Party or its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, she remarked that some political parties were collecting donations from people to sit in the front row of their rallies.

"I can't think even about doing such a thing ... For first row seats, one has to pay Rs.1 lakh. I hate to talk of about this," said the Trinamool supremo.

She also showed her amusement over "free water" promised by AAP in its manifesto.

"I heard in some places there is tax on water. But here in Bengal people get it for free. I haven't heard that people will have to pay money to get water. In Bengal, water will always remain free," she said.

Banerjee yet again seemingly targeted the newly formed AAP when she wondered how some recently established parties were getting "lakhs and lakhs" of rupees.

"Electoral reform is one of our topmost priorities, and state funding of elections is imperative. Even parties newly formed are getting lakhs and lakhs of rupees. I can't understand from where they are getting this money," she said.