Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of spreading lies, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday compared him to Kalidasa, who was considered a dimwit before he went on to become one of the greatest writers of classical Sanskrit.

"You all know the story of Kalidasa, who chopped the very branch of the tree on which he was sitting on and fell down. Narendra Modi is also cutting the same branch, dividing the nation, dividing the states and also dividing the people," she said at a public meeting here in Hooghly district.

"If the Prime Minister comes and says that 'we (Trinamool Congress) have' hanged people to death, it is nothing but provoking people," she claimed.

Modi had warned that strict action will be taken against the killers of BJP workers.

"The law will punish those who committed the atrocities, as also those who conspired. These people will get stringent punishment," he had said while addressing an election meeting in this town of South Dinajpur district.

Banerje, however, attributed the deaths to suicide.

"It happens in villages... some people commit suicide out of grief. He is saying his workers are being killed and hanged. But the autopsy report of all of them is saying that they were case of suicide," she said.

She also accused BJP of "using demonetised money in elections".

"We have done politics with money earned from tuition classes. We do wall writing ourselves. They bringing agencies from Delhi and Mumbai. They are carrying crores of money with them. Not just money and bikes, at places, they are giving maces and swords which are being used for Ram Navami celebrations," she added.

--IANS

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