Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a national television that there was no democracy in Bengal, State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday came back hard on him for “shouting lies,” and attacked his Government for snooping on the private lives of the people of the citizens.
In a circuitous reference to the Prime Minister’s statements the Chief Minister who was addressing a gathering at Ilambazar in Birbhum district said that there were some people who were shouting lies wondering whether these people were trying to lecture Bengal on democratic practices without considering the situation in the BJP-ruled States.
“You are shouting lies to the people,” she said in an apparent reference to Modi’s statement and asked “are you trying to lecture us on the subject when democracy has the biggest presence in Bengal?” she said.
Referring to the Centre’s alleged “snooping orders” Banerjee said that “they (NDA Government) are trying to throttle people’s voices by snooping on their private conversations” — over phones and via computers.
“You may ask your husband to buy fish from the market and even that conversation is not out of their scanner,” Banerjee said adding “people leave in peace in Bengal” --- which was “the most peaceful place on earth.” There were some people who were out to malign the State, she alleged.
Like the Chief Minister State Education Minister Partho Chatterjee said the BJP had no right to lecture others as it had demolished the institution of democracy in India and was trying to demolish the spirits enshrined in the Constitution.
The Prime Minister had a few days ago raised questions on the prevailing conditions in Bengal alleging how “a political party (read BJP) is being denied basic democratic rights. Our workers are brutally killed in Bengal Kerala and even Karnataka.” This situation had to come to an end he had said adding “all political parties have to reaffirm their commitment to peaceful politics.”
With BJP president Amit Shah fixing 22 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats as his party’s target in the coming general elections the two parties had engaged each other in a bitter struggle for supremacy in the State.
Meanwhile, in a development that could win the Chief Minister hearts of lakhs of Government employees Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced a 125 percent DA (of their basic salary) for them. The decision would be implemented from this month she said adding the Government would also clear all the dues by the end of January.
The Left-backed West Bengal State Coordination Committee however down played the decision saying this had been announced by her June last year and that notwithstanding the announcement the State would still lag 23 percent behind the Centre in terms of DA payment.