Would stand by farmers till last breath: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata:Describing farmers as the "backbone" of India, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC boss Mamata Banerjee on Friday said she and her party members would "stand by them till last breath", come what may.

Banerjee, after paying tribute to former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary, remembered that he had raised the slogan 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan' 55 years ago to enthuse and motivate the countrys soldiers and farmers.

"Remembering former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary. 55 years ago, he gave us the inspirational slogan of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan' for our proud farmer brothers & sisters. Come what may, we will always firmly stand by them till our last breath," Banerjee tweeted.

The TMC chief, who has been critical of the new farm laws, said history stood testament to all that her government did for the welfare of farmers.

"Farmers are the backbone of our society. In Bengal, the average annual income of our farmers has tripled from Rs 91,000 in 2011 to Rs 2.91 lakh in 2018. History stands testament to what we have done for their benefits. We will continue to raise our voices for them," she added.

Shastri, the second prime minister of India, was born on this day in 1904 in Uttar Pradesh's Mughalsarai Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar.