A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah staged the “biggest roadshow in Bengal”, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has promised to repeat the feat by the end of this year leading a counter rally at Bolpur along the same route. The rally is likely to be held on December 29, party leaders said.
Hitting out at the BJP leadership (read Shah) for delivering “a garbage of lies,” on Bengal’s development, the Chief Minister said, “Some people are coming from Delhi and discharging a garbage of lies in Bengal,” countering Shah’s claim that the State was lagging far behind in economic development, industrial growth and employment generation index.
“Contrary to what they said Bengal is number one in many fields,” she said speaking about the Kanyashree, Sabuuj Saathi and other projects for which the State had won international recognition.
Shah had on Sunday attacked the TMC Government for taking Bengal backwards in every respect.
“Why are they telling lies to the people of the State, what gain they will make by telling lies,” Mamata said adding her party was committed to unity and that it would not let people be divided for narrow political gains.
Saying the BJP was a “party of cheating baz (cheats)” Mamata said, “There is a nefarious design to spread communal hatred in Bengal to win elections which is not the culture of this State. We have always remained united and will continue to do so in future.”
The Chief Minister earlier thanked her counterparts and Opposition leaders from other States saying how “the Central Government is interfering with my Government by transferring three IPS officers.”
Thanking the Chief Minister’s of Punjab, Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan for voicing solidarity with Bengal, Mamata said federal ideas were under attack in the present situation and needed to be preserved. She also thanked Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin who described the “unilateral transfer” of senior Bengal cops by the Centre as “autocratic and anti-federal.”
The three IPS officers --- an ADG, a DIG and an SP who were responsible for the security of BJP national president JP Nadda whose convoy was on December 10 attacked by alleged Trinamool Congress men were transferred on deputation to Central services. The matter has been taken by the State Government to the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar once again attacked the State Government for disregarding public interests in its bid to oppose Central schemes and politicising the police administration.
He said, “While the rest of India was moving in one direction and Bengal in the other” questioning the reason behind the State Government’s decision to block the Central schemes providing monetary benefits to the farmers.
“It is difficult to understand why the Central schemes for farmers were blocked by the State Government,” he said adding “clashes between constitutional authorities are not desirable when the matter relates to public interests.”
Ruing the “politicisation of police administration,” he said that he had been a witness to the appointment of two dozen police officers that brazenly testified his claims.
On the conduct of elections he said, “I am not concerned with who win the elections but I am concerned with how the elections are conducted,” reminding the state of affairs at Diamond Harbour area --- where Nadda’s convoy was attacked by alleged TMC men.
Charging the District Magistrate for violating the protocol associated with a Governor’s visit during his trip to Diamond Harbour, he said, “Diamond Harbour is not a personal fief of anyone… it belongs to the people of the country and Bengal,” wondering how the Indian citizens could be regarded as outsiders in the State. He would not however name local MP and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
