"This is the time to bring change. People have rejected CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) in the Lok Sabha elections. They should think of a bigger change and remove the CPI-M from the state," Banerjee told the party's Martyrs Day rally in Kolkata, which turned into a show of strength.
The Union Railway Minister, who has been urging for preponing of the assembly elections due in 2011, said for the change people "should wait patiently for one more year."
Stating that many had thought that the CPI-M could not be defeated in Bengal, she said, "It has been proved wrong. The CPI-M lost badly. The CPI-M government which oppressed the people will be changed."
The change in the state would, however, not come about through "blood for blood policy", but through peaceful means, she said.
"The CPI-M uses terror against its opponents, but we will maintain peace and mobilise the people. After the Lok Sabha polls, the expectations of the people have gone up. We have to play a constructive and positive role," Mamata said.
She reiterated that the party would not call bandhs and blockades unnecessarily which only led to disruption of normal life.
Virtually turning the rally into a campaign for the assembly elections, she promised that if the Trinamool Congress came to power in the state it would give an impartial administration, clear "the mess" in the health and education besides providing electricity in every village.
Equal emphasis would be given to both industry and agriculture, she told the rally called to mark the death of 13 Youth Congress workers on this day in 1993 in police firing during an anti-government protest when she was the YC chief.
The rally started with Magsaysay award winning writer Mahesweta Devi being felicitated, as also the families of the 'martyrs' of Singur and Nandigram, besides the mother of computer graphics teacher Rizwanur Rehman.
Also present were All India Congress Committee in-charge of the state K Keshava Rao and Congress MPs Mausam Noor and Abu Hashem Khan Chowdhury.
Banerjee said AICC President Sonia Gandh, General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and Union Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had wished the rally a success through Rao.
