With the Trinamool Congress [TMC] leadership facing the heat after the arrest of two of its heavyweight leaders, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on August 29 said that attempts are being made by the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] to spread canards against her and paint everyone in the party as “thieves”.
“If Partha Chatterjee has indulged in corruption, law will take its course, But Partha is a thief, Bobby (Minister Firhad Hakim) is a thief, Aroop (Minister Aroop Biswas) is a thief, Abhishek (Banerjee) is a thief. I am also a thief. We are all thieves and you are saints,” the TMC chairperson said addressing a gathering of the party’s student wing in Kolkata.
Ms. Banerjee said that If she wasn’t in politics and had not occupied the ‘chair’ then the manner in which the entire TMC is being branded as corrupt she would have asked her sisters to “snap the tongues of those trying to slander us”.
“If Partha Chatterjee does something, they are dragging Mamata Banerjee into it. If Bobby is doing something, they are dragging Mamata Banerjee into it. Even (for trivial issues like) if the rice is not hot they are dragging Mamata Banerjee into it,” she said.
During her first political rally after the arrest of former party general secretary Partha Chatterjee and influential leader Anubrata Mondal, Ms. Banerjee said that a “media trial” was going on and urged her supporters not to believe what the media says.
The TMC supremo said that if tomorrow the agencies say that ‘Bobby’ has been arrested because huge cash was seized from him they should not believe it. “It will be completely staged,” she added.
The remarks by the chief minister assume significance as it comes in backdrop of seizure of cash valuing ₹50 crore and jewellery of ₹4.5 crore from the residence of Mr. Chatterjee’s aide during raids by Enforcement Directorate and fixed deposits valuing ₹16.97 crore being found in the relatives of Anubrata Mondal by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
While the party chairperson did not defend Mr. Chatterjee, she once again reiterated her support to Mr. Mondal calling him a very “ helpful person”. The chief minister said that the BJP’s plans are to put most of the TMC leaders behind bars before 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“Abhishek (Banerjee) has made a good speech today, tomorrow you might see that notice ( by central agencies) is served to him,” she said.
Ms. Banerjee targeted central agencies and said if police officers from West Bengal are summoned to Delhi by the agencies then her government is also aware of corruption by the agencies and would legally act against the officers. Referring to the incident of gangrape by BSF personnel in North 24 Parganas, Ms. Banerjee asked whether the plans to increase jurisdiction of BSF from 15 to 50 km was to torture the people.
Protest demanding SC intervention in Bilkis Bano’s case
Referring to the premature release of 11 convicts in a case relating to the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of at least seven persons, Ms. Banerjee said that BJP should be ashamed of such an act. “Releasing those accused of gang rape is not honouring our women,” she said.
Ms. Banerjee announced two day long dharna in Kolkata, led by two women ministers of her government demanding an intervention by the Supreme Court in the matter.
The chief minister also raised questions as to where the money was coming from to dislodge the elected government. “BJP should answer where it is getting money to dislodge elected governments. How much money was used in Maharashtra…? They also wanted to dislodge the government in Jharkhand but we saved it,” she said, referring to the arrest of three Jharkhand MLAs in West Bengal with ₹49 lakh.
During her speech Ms. Banerjee emphasised that she was in politics for “social work” and her party was the only “ honest” party in the country. The TMC chairperson said that her “final battle” will be to dislodge BJP from power at Centre.
