Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday leapt into the “intolerance” bandwagon from the podium of a mass rally organised by a minority group defending the Khans — Aamir and Shahrukh — and even threatening to lead a mass rally to Delhi in protest against what her ruling Trinamool Congress called “religious dictatorship”.
launching a scathing attack on the saffron brigade for “terrorising all those who want to speak their hearts” and Banerjee thundered, “Aamir Khan has said whatever he felt as an Indian. Does he not have the right to speak his mind democraticallyIJ The right to freedom of speech has been provided to us by the Constitution. Are you a super constitution to tell the respectable people like Aamir, Shahrukh and those others on how to express themselvesIJ”
India is “our motherland, fatherland, birthplace, workplace and everything. India does not belong to you alone. Who are you to tell someone to leave this country because he takes a particular view on a certain subjectIJ Who are you to dictate as to what to wear, what to eat and what to speakIJ” Banerjee asked.
“They are threatening everyone who refuses to speak their language. They are threatening Rahman and many others whom I should not name at this juncture. But I assure you all that even if the rest of the country sleeps I will remain awake to save democracy and lead you all to Delhi
if need be to protest against such discrimination,” she said, adding, “I know that my
speech will attract CBI action against me.”
Curiously the Chief Minister stitched superstar and Trinamool Congress MP Mithun Chakrabarty’s name to the “intolerance” issue alleging “that Mithun has been browbeaten so much that he has stopped talking to me even despite the fact that he is a Trinamool MP.”
Chakrabarty had earlier been grilled by the Enforcement Directorate for his alleged connections with the Saradha chit fund group.
Warning “those in power up there in Delhi must realise that courage is good but audacity is bad” Banerjee said, “Today you are in power and may unleash CBI against me but I am not afraid to go to jail because in people’s jail I will get some rest.”
Banerjee’s reference of CBI comes after several months of lull particularly in the wake of reports that former State Minister and powerful Trinamool leader Madan Mitra who was currently in jail for his alleged involvement in the chit fund scam was being taken to Odisha and Assam for grilling.