West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, criticising his remarks that her government is run by thieves. The CM said, “I respect the Chair of the Prime Minister and never use unparliamentary languages against him and similarly I too expect from him to return that courtesy. He has no right to call Bengal a region run by the thieves.”
Banerjee was addressing an audience in the sidelines of an administrative meeting in Burdwan district. “What right has he got to talk like that and it is not my Government but all his double engine Governments in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar are run by the thieves,” the Chief Minister thundered.
Continuing to play on the Bengali asmita (pride) — the TMC think tank has decided to make an electoral plank and a veritable talking point in neigbourhood meetings — and calling Modi’s comments an “insult” to the people of Bengal “which I will never tolerate,” Banerjee reminded how Bengal had made supreme sacrifices in the freedom struggle with “90 per cent of prisoners in Andam Cellular Jail being Bengalis” before condemning the BJP-ruled States for harassing the migrant workers from Bengal.
“Bengal and Punjab — the two States that were in the forefront of the freedom struggle — suffered the most during partition in 1947 — was it our fault that a separate Bangladesh was created and they too speak Bengali as we do. What right you have got to brand the migrant workers from Bengal as Bangladeshis just because they speak Bengali language and it is the same language that was spoken by Rabindranath Tagore who wrote the National Anthem, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay who wrote the National Song and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose who gave the Jai Hind call and now the same Bengalis are being subjected to harassment,” she said.
“Bengal has 1.5 crore migrants from other States working here but we welcome them and do not touch them, we do not harass or insult them whereas the 22.5 lakh Bengali workers working in other States are regularly ill-treated, beaten up or pushed back to Bangladesh because they speak the Bengali language and we don’t want this language terrorism, this must stop,” the CM said.
“They take GST from our State and do not pay our legitimate share. Citing corruption they sent 186 teams but could prove nothing and have now stopped the funds towards rural housing, hundred days’ work, rural roads and they don’t stop funds to the BJP States despite allegations of corruption in those States,” the CM said reminding, “you will not be in power for eternity but tomorrow you may go out of power and then how will you feel if similar treatment is meted out to you.”