Midnapore (West Bengal): West Bengal Chiefe Minister Mamata Banerjee accused Monday the BJP of practising ‘divisive politics for its personal gains’. Mamata Banerjee also asserted that in West Bengal, all communities have long lived in harmony. So it would ‘never bow its head before the murderers of Mahatma Gandhi’.
Banerjee was addressing a rally in West Midnapore. She slammed the BJP government at the Centre for its ‘arrogance and indifference’ towards the plight of farmers. The farmers are protesting against the newly enacted agriculture laws. She contended that the central government should immediately withdraw the ‘anti-people’ farm laws or step down.
The feisty Trinamool Congress (TMC) boss claimed that she would rather stay in jail than ‘remain silent or put up with BJP’s misrule’.
“We don’t believe in Bengali-non-Bengali politics. Both are our brothers and sisters. We also don’t believe in Hindu-Muslim politics, like the BJP. The state has a long history of all communities living in harmony. The people of West Bengal would never bow their heads before those who murdered Mahatma Gandhi,” Banerjee said, without taking any name.
Banerjee once more asserted that the BJP was a party of ‘outsiders’ in West Bengal. She said she would never allow the saffron camp to take control of Bengal. She urged the people of the state to resist any such attempt.
“If goons from outside come to our state and terrorise you, all of you should put up a united fight against them. We believe in peace. We won’t allow them to have a free run here. We will never allow outsiders to take control of West Bengal,” the chief minister maintained.
Banerjee also pledged her government’s support to the farmers’ agitation over the new farm bills. She said the BJP-led government at the Centre ‘should no longer continue to remain in power after sacrificing the rights of the farmers’.
The rally assumed significance as one of Banerjee’s most trusted aide Subhendu Adhikari was absent during the meeting. There is speculation that he may switch allegiance to the BJP due to his ongoing rift with the TMC. Banerjee however, did not raise the name of Adhikari even once during her speech. She only asserted that the Trinamool Congress was a ‘huge family’ comprising of all people and not one single title-holder.
Banerjee alleged that the saffron party ‘threatens its opposition leaders and sends them to prison’. “I am not afraid of going to jail. I would prefer going to prison to compromising with the misrule of the BJP,” asserted Banerjee.