Kolkata, Aug 12 (UNI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday came down heavily on the Prime Minister, stating before talking about violence in Bengal, he should answer what they are doing in Manipur for the past three months.
” He should answer why people in Tripura weren’t allowed to contest on over 93% of the seats during the panchayat polls. He should answer why 40% of the seats in Uttar Pradesh were won by them uncontested. He should answer why Manipur’s Dalits are not even getting water or basic necessities while he helps his leaders construct lavish buildings for their own residences, ” Banerjee posed a barrage of questions to the PM.
” He should answer how much money has he gifted during his foreign tours. He must answer where did the PM CARES funds go. Crores were poured into it through CSR. The bonus of Central government employees was stopped and they even took a one-day pay cut for the same, ” she asked.
” Under the garb of demonetisation, he banned currency notes and brought in new notes of 2000 denomination. Now, that too has been banned. In between, crores just vanish and people are left wondering. First, he should explain his own scandals. He is repeatedly visiting foreign countries, striking deals, giving gifts, and returning with certificates. Has he ever given details of these deals in Parliament? Earlier, PMs would brief Parliament after their foreign tours but he has given no speeches on External Affairs, ” Banerjee alleged.
Alleging that he cannot raise the corruption issue because he is fully surrounded by so many issues such as PM Cares Funds, Rafale Deal, the agreement to sell the defence factory, demonetisation, Banerjee said, ” And now they have cancelled Rs 2,000 note in their party’s and their own interest. You can fool people some of the time but you cannot fool people all the time. ”
” Charity begins at home. They do not take action against their own people, who are corrupt, involved in character assassination, carrying out atrocities against women and wrestlers, or allowing violence in Manipur, ” Banerjee asserted.
Instead of giving a message of humanity to the people, the Prime Minister chose to “malign” Bengal at a small event today, she further alleged and said, ” I thank the PM’s chair, not the individual, for remembering Bengal. He has insulted, deprived, oppressed, and caused pain to Bengal only to gratify BJP leaders here. ”
As many as 54 central teams visited West Bengal seeking clarity based on the allegations levied by local BJP leaders, she said adding, ” We provided all such clarifications. Yet, no funds were allocated to West Bengal for the 2023-24 cycle. In fact, West Bengal is the only state that has not received any money. ”
” They have blocked the funds earmarked for poor people’s homes in Bengal. More than 36 lakh people want homes under the scheme but the money was blocked by the Centre as per demands of local BJP leaders. They did not allocate a single rupee for the renovation of the rural roads which were damaged during monsoons, ” the Chief Minister stated.
PM has deprived Bengal of its rights as the state is owed Rs 1.15 lakh crore by him, she said adding she had met him five times on the matter.
” Our ministers and MPs have visited. Yet, their party members refused to relent saying they want to starve Bengal. Those who carry out so many atrocities should be ashamed of themselves, ” Banerjee maintained.
He has singled out Bengal and wants to oppress and malign the state, she alleged and said, ” This is because he fears the intellect and merit of Bengal. He fears the dedication of our youth. He fears
Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra, Netaji, Abul Kalam, Birsa Munda, and Raghunath Murmu. He wants to erase the name of Gandhi ji from our memory. ”
” He knows that Bengal is the land of communal peace and harmony and people from different backgrounds, religions, castes, and ethnicities live together in a prosperous manner on this historic land, ” the Trinamool Congress supremo iterated.
Their work is to spread Manipur-like communal violence in Bengal and divide North Bengal and Darjeeling, she further alleged.
Their work is to stoke a divisive fire in the Jangal Mahal region, she said adding, ” We will not allow this fire in our state. If needed, they have to go over my body to do this. Only then, will they be able to engage in such shameful misdeeds. “
