Andhra Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday hailed his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee as “Bengal tigress” and claimed she would act as a kingmaker in the formation of the next government at the Centre.

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The TDP chief on Thursday shared the dais with the TMC supremo at Kharagpur in West Midnapore district. Chandrababu Naidu said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was fighting a lost battle. The Andhra Pradesh chief minister said Modi visited Bengal 16 times for election campaigns. “How many times have you [Modi] come to West Bengal for development work?” he asked.

Mr. Naidu accused PM Modi of “victimizing the Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee”. Naidu said the Trinamool Congress should win more seats so that WB has better bargaining power. “We want to save democracy, protect our nation and save our democratic institutions,” he further said.

Andhra CM also praised Mamata Banerjee for getting the anti-BJP forces together. “Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal is very important because, under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, the country will get a new prime minister,” said Naidu. “She is organizing everybody and is going to play a vital role in forming the new government at the Centre.”

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