'Kursi ki peti bandh lijiye kyunki...': Abhishek Banerjee's SRK touch to warn PM Modi of 'borrowed time'

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee warned the Centre on Wednesday and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on "borrowed time". Hitting out at the PM Modi-led central government, Abhishek Banerjee said in the Lok Sabha, "Waqt badal gya hai (the time has changed)".

He said the prime minister now “leading a creaky, vulnerable, shaky coalition and it leads a coalition government which is just waiting to blow up.”

“Rather than investing in the future of this country, it is unfortunate that the Union government is investing for Modiji's political survival at the expense of the nation's well-being,” Banerjee said while attacking the government over the Budget 2024-25. He said the Budget was “anti-Bengal and anti-people”.

He also warned that “the honourable Prime Minister is on borrowed time”. He said, “….mark my works and I would like to end by saying thoda sabar rakhiya or kursi ka peti bandh lijiye kyunki Mausam badalne wala hai. (Wait for sometime and tie you seatbelts because the weather is about to change)”

The “kursi ka peti” dialogue is from Shah Rukh Khan's movie Pathaan.

Lok Sabha Speaker Vs Abhishek Banerjee

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla engaged a war of words in the Lower House on Wednesday with Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee over the Budget 2024-25, and issues such as now-abolished three contentious farm laws and demonetization.

In his speech on Wednesday, Abhishek Banerjee said, “In 2020, the same Modi government unilaterally passed three contentious farm bills without any consultation with our farmers or farmer organization or any opposition party.”

Om Birla objected to his statement and asked to clear his "records". He told Banerjee, "Please clear this record, the farm bills were discussed in this house for five-hand-a-half hours..."

When Banrejee said there was no discussion on farm laws, Birla said, “Jab Speaker bolta hai to bolta hai or vo sahi bolta. Aap correct karo apne aap ko. Jab mai bol rha hun to mai kabhi galat nahi bolta. (When the Speaker speaks, he speaks and he speaks correctly. Correct yourself. When I say something, I always say it correctly)”

Later in the debate, Om Birla asked Banerjee to speak on the current Budget as the TMC leader went on to highlight the issues with the demonetization. "Please speak on the current budget," Birla told the TMC leader.

Banerjee then hit back saying, "When someone speaks about Jawaharlal Nehru 60 years ago...then you'll speak nothing. But when I am speaking about the demonetization that happened five years ago, you are asking me to talk about the current issues... this bias won't work."