Conspiracy afoot to murder me by hiring contract killers; Mamata

Kolkata, May 12 (IANS)�West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday claimed that a conspiracy was on to physically eliminate her and said a political party has even hired contract killers for the purpose.

"I have come to know that a conspiracy is on to kill me. A political party has given supari (contract) for eliminating me. The contract killers, who have already received an advance, did a recce of my offie and residence, as also other nearby places," Banerjee said during an interview to Zee 24 Ghanta.

Complaining that she was the victim of a barrage of insults and character assassination daily, Banerjee said the conspirators had hatched a plan to first assassinate her character and then eliminate her physically.

The Chief Minister, however, said she was habituated with such conspiracies and had survived murder attempts by a whisker in the past.