Referring to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent remarks directed at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), CPI(M) State Secretary Mohd. Salim on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Ms. Banerjee and accused her Trinamool Congress of being a “springboard for the RSS and the BJP”.
Addressing a huge gathering organised by the student and youth wing of the CPI(M) in Kolkata, Mr. Salim said that by wearing a hijab and participating in Iftar parties, Ms. Banerjee had brought RSS/BJP to the State.
“She is saying that she believes that everyone in RSS is not bad,” the CPI(M) leader said, adding that that the Trinamool Congress had taken the ‘sub-contract’ for bringing the BJP/ RSS to the State.
Along with her remarks on the RSS, the Chief Minister said on the floor of the Assembly on Monday that she believed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not aware of the excesses committed by the Central investigative agencies. The CPI(M) leader accused the BJP of being the “fake Opposition” in the State.
The student and youth wing of the CPI(M) organised the ‘Insaaf rally’ on Tuesday where the issues raised included the School Service Commission recruitment scam and the death of student leader Anish Khan. Family members of Anish who died under mysterious circumstances in February 2022 were also present at the gathering.
“Anish Khan was murdered and now police is lodging a case against his family members,” Mr. Salim said.
The CPI(M) Polit Bureau member spoke of the communal amity in Kolkata and West Bengal and accused the Trinamool and the BJP of creating divisions. Mr. Salim referring to party youth leaders Minakshi Mukherjee and Dhrubojyoti Saha said that they were the ones seeking justice for Anish Khan and this was the culture of coexistence in the State.
The CPI(M) which failed to win a single seat in the Assembly election has been trying to resurrect the party and targeting both the Trinamool and the BJP. However, the dilemma for the Left parties is which of these two parties is their bigger political adversary.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) produced before a city court North Bengal University Vice-Chancellor Subires Bhattacharya who was arrested by the agency on Monday. It remanded him to CBI custody till September 26.
The academician was arrested in connection with the recruitment scam which is being probed by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. State’s Education Minister Bratya Basu said that he would discuss the issue of the Vice-Chancellor’s arrest with Ms. Banerjee.
