Having played the Muslim card to her great advantage for the past few years Mamata Banerjee on Thursday dropped the Bengal card to ward off a growing saffron threat to her regime saying “outsiders with no idea of Bengali culture” were trying to smuggle in politics of Danga and bloodshed.
“Some outsiders who have no idea of Bengali culture and politics have camped here with the motive of injecting communalism and hatred in this State. But I will not let that happen” Banerjee said asking the people remain on guard and not walk into any communal trap.
Referring to allegations that the Trinamool had forced Raju and Geeta Mahali the couple from Naxalbari to join that party on Wednesday eight days after hosting BJP president Amit Shah to lunch, Banerjee, said “this an allegation leveled by the BJP to insult the people of our State. And if anyone insults Bengal and its people then there will be no bigger enemy than me.”
She said the BJP leaders from outside the State were introducing a political culture in Bengal that was alien to this State.
Banerjee who on Thursday addressed an audience in Malda also warned the BJP-led Centre to arrest Trinamool Congress leaders in Narada case at the risk getting “one lakh BJP workers in jail.”
The Chief Minister’s public diatribe came amid reports that the top CBI and ED officers including ones who had flown in to Kolkata from Delhi were ready to summon the Trinamool MPs and its Ministers for questioning in the Narada pay-off case where at least 11 of their senior leaders were seen accepting cash allegedly for “favours” from a sting journalist faking as a prospective investor in the State.
More than the CBI case the Trinamool leaders were reportedly more perturbed with the actions taken by the ED which has launched a suo motu case for probing the bank accounts and other money trails related to the TMC MPs, Ministers and their near relatives.
In an apparent reference to BJP leader Kailash Vijaybargiya who had earlier said that the all the Trinamool leaders responsible for cheating the poor people in chit fund case and those involved in the Narada pay off case would go to jail Chief Minister said, “I dare them to arrest TMC leaders. If one Trinamool leader is arrested then one lakh BJP men will go to jail,” reminding, “we also have our cases ready against them. We also have the names of their men involved in child-trafficking cases.”
Demanding a “clarification” from “a leader from Indore” (read Vijaybargiya) she said “has for the past two days has been saying that Sudip Bandopadhyay and Tapas Paul were arrested at the behest of the Prime Minister and soon others will also be arrested. I want to know as to whether this man is God or CBI chief or has the Prime Minister personally told him about the arrests. I want to know this as a citizen of this country,” adding “the BJP will go in 2019 as the people will reject them and send them to jail.”
Hours later the BJP launched a counter-attack daring Banerjee to convert her words into action saying “let her arrest our workers. We are ready to go to jail but she must remember that half of her Cabinet is facing corruption charges and are sure to go to jail.”
Vijabargiya who was addressing a meeting in Kolkata said, “we want the poor people’s money to be returned,” and demanded to know the “secrets” of the “rags-to-riches story of the Chief Minister’s family members including her nephew.”