NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee seemed to have regained her combative mood — missing since she was accused of turning a blind eye to terror networks taking root in her state and charges of complicity of her party leaders in the Saradha scam — as she challenged BJP on its claims of growing in Bengal.
Infact, while interacting with the media, the Trinamool Congress supremo declared she would quit the CM’s chair if it was proved that she had any links to the ponzi scheme.
The chief minister met home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday evening and wrapped up the day with a scheduled meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee.
Denying BJP’s growth in Bengal, Banerjee straight away termed it as “only a hype created by media.” Out of the 294 assembly seats it has just one seat. They were zero in Bengal and will remain on zero, will remain on zero,” she insisted.
Asked about BJP chief Amit Shah saying that TMC is trying hard to protect extremist fundamentalist Muslim forces in the state, the CM reacted in a TV interview saying, “Who is this man (Amit Shah)? I don’t know him? Haven’t seen him. Politically he can make these statements. I don’t know these people. I know Advaniji, I know Vajpayeeji, I know Rajnathji, I know Arun Jaitley, I know Sushmaji. I know so many BJP leaders, Congress party leaders and other party leaders. I don’t know all leaders of BJP. But one thing I can tell you… in Bengal they will never, never, make it. Even this time (Lok Sabha), they have tried, they spent a lot of money. Even all the media has been purchased by them. But I have got 34 out of 42 seats,” drawing a line between the BJP that she had partnered earlier as an NDA ally and the Modi-Shah led BJP of the day.
The CM also blamed the Centre for cross border infiltration from Bangladesh that has been growing saying that the borders are guarded by central forces and it should be the Centre’s duty to warn the concerned state if infiltration has been growing. “But they have not informed us, nor have they done anything to stop it… is it our (state’s) duty?” she asked.
Asked about the Burdwan blast case and TMC links to it, Mamata flatly said that “the house where the bombs were found had been rented in July” which was after the Modi government came into office.
In the backdrop of recent allegations made by suspended party MP Kunal Ghosh, Mamata was asked why for the first time in her political career she was being accused by her political rivals of corruption in the Saradha scam. “First you have to prove it. You have to give evidence. It (Saradha) was never done in our time. It was the Left Front’s time and Congress’ time and BJP’s time. You have to prove it otherwise I will resign from my post. We arrested the man (Sudipto Sen). We set up the judicial commission. We returned the money to five lakh individuals. This allegation is absolutely wrong,” she said.
Speaking about PM Modi’s style of functioning and his government’s performance so far, Banerjee said, “when we work we do not do something for publicity, we think of it as our duty, but some people have their own source of inspiration, I don’t believe in this selfie-style… I believe if you want to do some good thing, people will give you the recognition for it.”
