Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked the people to observe a Black Day on November 8 when the “Great Selfish Tax” was slapped on the people of the country.
This even as an anti-climax her onetime Man Friday Mukul Roy entered Kolkata for the first time as a BJP leader to a rousing welcome from the saffron workers who literally mobbed the Airport and the State party office where Roy vowed to work for a second Parivartan and bring the BJP in power in Bengal by driving away the Trinamool Congress.
After quitting the Trinamool Congress in October the once undeclared “number two” of that party had joined the BJP in Delhi last week.
Coming down heavily on the Modi Government Banerjee tweeted the “Great Selfish Tax” had been imposed to “harass the people and finish the economy,” and called upon the social media users to change the profile pictures to a black square on November 8 — the first anniversary of the demonetisation reforms — to register their protest against notebandi.
She said “Noteban is a disaster,” and called for a protest on November 8 “against this scam that destroyed the economy,” urging her followers to “let us also change our Twitter DP to black.” Banerjee had told in a core committee meeting of her party on October 25 to launch in a big way a mass agitation against the Noteban and organize protest rallies in every district as a “pump up” programme ahead of the panchayat elections.
Meanwhile the former Railway Minister entered Kolkata --- in a manner as never before --- as BJP leader after he started his second inning in politics last week joining the saffron outfit after quitting his parent party the Trinamool Congress following a prolonged cold war with Banerjee --- for allegedly “betraying” many a secret regarding Trinamool’s own Janpath to the Central Bureau of Investigation investigating the multi-crore Sharada chit fund scam.
Hours after landing at the NSI Airport Roy to a rousing welcome by his party men Roy told media men about his intention to bring about a second political upheaval (parivartan) in the State as the “Parivartan that we desired in 2011 was not worth it and had failed to fulfill the aspirations of the people who reposed faith on the Trinamool Congress” before being betrayed in the face.
When asked as to who was his leader he said, “in the national politics my captain is Amit Shah under whose direction I will work and in Bengal (State BJP president) Dilip Ghosh is my captain.” Roy added the “people of Bengal are fed up of the current goings on and they are ready to bring about a second Parivartan and BJP is ready to take charge as the only alternative to the Trinamool Congress.” The saffron party was bound to win the elections in 2019 and 2021, he said.