While attending a namaz event at Kolkata’s Red Road commemorating Eid-ul-Fitr Thursday morning, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In her address to the audience, Mamata said that the Centre would send the NIA even if a ‘chocolate bomb’ explodes in the state. Aiming the saffron party, CM said she “will not allow the implementation of the amended Citizenship Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state”.
She said, “We are fighting against the BJP in Bengal. Don’t give a single vote to anyone else.”
Notably, Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee accompanied the Bengal CM at the ceremony.
#WATCH | Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says, “…If anyone comes to riot, you should keep quiet, keep your head cool…If there is a blast, they (BJP) send NIA to arrest everyone. By arresting everyone, your country will become desolate…We want a beautiful… pic.twitter.com/bVeUqfxjRr
— ANI (@ANI) April 11, 2024
At the beginning of the speech, Mamata urged to maintain unity, saying, “If you are united, no one can separate you.” Without naming the BJP first, the Bengal CM said, “Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is being introduced. We don’t want hate speech, we don’t want NRC, we don’t want CAA. We aim to harmonise all religions.”
She further, referring to the recent Bhupatinagar incident, said, “If anyone comes to riot, you should keep quiet, keep your head cool. We want a beautiful sky for which everyone must stay together.”
She went on to say, “Even if a ‘chocolate bomb’ explodes in Bengal, they send NIA. Everyone is afraid of ED-CBI. I am not afraid of the agency.”
Earlier last week, a National Investigation Agency team was reportedly attacked by some villagers while they were taking two accused along with them for questioning into a blast case. Following a directive from the Calcutta High Court, the probing agency took over the investigation on June 6, 2023. The blast occurred in December 2022.
In an apparent attack, the Bengal Chief Minister claimed that the saffron party is making the entire country a prison. She said, “I am not afraid of death. Central agencies like NIA, CBI, Income Tax, and ED want to arrest everybody now. I say, build a prison better than this. Fill everybody up. But can you imprison all 130 million people in the country? We fight like the Royal Bengal Tigers.”
Mamata further alleged that “TMC leaders were being arrested before the polls, but the BJP people were getting bail in the court even though they were guilty”.
Mamata further sneered at NDA’s claim to get over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha. Said, “First get 200 seats”.
