Kolkata, Mar 16 (PTI) Lashing out at the Election Commission for transferring top state bureaucrats and police officers shortly after announcing the assembly polls in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee branded the EC and the ruling BJP as “anti-women and anti-Bengal”.
Speaking at a rally at Dorina crossing in central Kolkata following a march to protest the LPG crisis in the state, Banerjee said the saffron camp may change as many officers as they want, but they will not be able to change the government.
“It doesn’t matter who you appoint as replacement officers; they will all work for Bengal,” Banerjee said, apparently hitting out at the EC but without directly naming it.
“They chose the hour of midnight to remove Nandini Chakravorty, the chief secretary and a Bengali woman, without consulting the state government. It goes to show how anti-women they are,” Banerjee said.
The CM also referred to the removal of state home secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena to criticise the poll body.
“Our home secretary is a non-Bengali person. His removal reflects the deep disdain they have for efficient officers of Bengal,” the TMC supremo said.
“Don’t treat Bengal as your zamindari (fiefdom). You can threaten and change the district magistrate, SP, and inspectors in-charge, but you can’t change people. Remember, you did not give them jobs, they secured it by their merit. You don’t have the right to insult them,” she said.
Speaking on the prevailing LPG cooking gas crisis in the state in the wake of the conflict in West Asia, Banerjee claimed the problem was “artificially created”.
“The LPG crisis is artificially created by disabling oil company servers. I have spoken with their representatives, and there is no real crisis. They have floated a gas balloon of falsehood. They have created an artificial crisis,” she said. She said her government has taken steps to ensure that people get kerosene.
Alluding to comments by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 14 that the BJP would not tolerate attacks on its workers, Banerjee questioned the constitutionality of such statements.
“If he says we will hound you out and take retaliatory action, let me ask if such utterances can be constitutional and conform to democratic principles,” she said.
Referring to a threat after an attack on state minister Shashi Panja, Banerjee said, “I had helped this leader when he was in trouble as we don’t treat people on the basis of their profile and identity. But I dare him and his party to commit such a misadventure. Kindly inform me when I will have to wait for you at my residence or anywhere else. If you think you can terrorise people, you are mistaken.” The TMC supremo accused the BJP brass of filling up Brigade Parade Ground by doling out cash.
Drawing parallels with the demolition of the Vidyasagar bust during a roadshow of Union Home Minister Amit Shah before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the March 14 clash in Kolkata, she said, “Now, on the way to the meeting of Modi, they vandalise the house of our minister Panja. BJP should be ashamed.” She clarified that the TMC would not retaliate in the same manner.
On migration and employment, Banerjee welcomed workers from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, UP and other BJP-ruled states, while questioning the treatment of Bengali migrants in those states. “Why are our migrants, invited for skilled work, tortured elsewhere? Is it their fault?” she asked.
She called on people to “boycott BJP,” alleging, “BJP won’t allow sale of fish, meat, won’t allow you to speak in your mother tongue, and will use bulldozers to crush dissent. Remember, in Bihar they doled out Rs 10,000 before polls, but now are taking it back covertly. Before vote, they come out with money, once they win they use bulldozer.” She alleged that Shah and Modi are using the three “bullets – SIR, NRC, Census to deport people.” Banerjee accused the BJP of using the SIR, NRC and Census processes to target voters, alleging a plot to delete lakhs of names under “logical discrepancy.” “Those not having their names in the supplementary list may approach our booth-level agents, and we will provide free legal support to move the tribunal if their cases are genuine,” she said, questioning why such discrepancies existed only in Bengal.
Turning to SIR, she said, “People had to stand in queues for SIR, and now they are standing in queues to get LPG cylinders.” “Over 200 died due to SIR-related incidents? Who is responsible for that?” she asked.
Accusing Modi of being ignorant of Bengal’s culture, heritage and icons, she said, “You called Rani Rasmoni as Rosomoni, you addressed Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay as Bankimda, your party leader had said Rabindranath Tagore was born in Santiniketan. You speak from teleprompter to profess your false love for Bengal.” She asked if Modi was respectful towards all communities, including backward castes and dalits, “then why was President Droupadi Murmu not allowed to enter the Ram temple at Ayodhya.” Targeting Modi on women’s safety, she said, “So many atrocities against women took place in BJP-ruled states, so many women tortured in Manipur and even one raped and killed, but you had not uttered a single word about the situation when it unfolded.” PTI SMY SUS MNB
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