Bengali Prime Minister? Campaign on Facebook picks Mamata Banerjee for post

Kolkata: Hours after Rahul Gandhi said he is ready to become the Prime Minister of India if his Congress returns to power and emerges as the “biggest” party in the 2019 Lok Sabha with full majority, supporters of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a social media campaign saying, "Come, let's make a change... Let's get a Bengali Prime Minister this time".

A life-size photograph of smiling Mamata Banerjee with a slogan leaves no room for doubt about who her fans want as "Bengali Prime Minister".

Does the Facebook page called FAM have Didi's blessings? No response from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to queries yet.

The social media page has over 2.5 lakh likes and the page calling for Mamata Banerjee for PM already has 67,000 likes.

The slogan "Didi for PM" has grown louder in the last six months, especially since the Gujarat polls when Rahul Gandhi became the Congress President.

His elevation was a signal for many that Rahul Gandhi would be the Congress face for PM in 2019. Mamata Banerjee did not congratulate him then not even for the Congress's improved performance in Gujarat. She, however, congratulated Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mevani for their poll success.

Earlier, the Trinamool had launched a soft campaign for Mamata Banerjee as PM. NDTV report said, top leaders told on record, Mamata Banerjee is a senior politician with mass appeal, has served at the Centre as minister for major portfolios, is a two-term chief minister and one of the key movers for a united opposition to take on BJP in 2019.

"Mamata Banerjee is a leader of proven mettle," NDTV quoted a Trinamool leader saying. "We don't have to go around with a certificate for her," the TMC leader added.