Miffed by alleged regular attempts by State Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at interfering in day-to-day business of the State Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday slammed the Central Government for trying to run a parallel Government in Kolkata — much the way it has been doing in States like Maharashtra.
In a circuitous reference to the BJP Government, Mamata said, “they are trying to run a parallel administration in Maharashtra, West Bengal and other States. The situation is a little better in West Bengal even though, here too a parallel Government is present.”
Banerjee who was speaking at the inauguration of INFOCOM, 2019 also said that the businessmen too were being target by the saffron government. “They are interfering in the business of industrialists. The economy is collapsing for these policies of the Centre,” the Chief Minister said reminding how on account of faulty economic policies of the Centre the country had gone in the grip of a never-ending vicious circle of inflation, unemployment and economic slowdown.
Referring to the falling gross domestic product of the country Banerjee said “It is the darkest situation in the country. There is unhindered privatization. The industries are being shut down and merger of banks is taking place… and nobody is able to speak,” adding how nobody was safe in the present political environment where “whoever raises a voice against this situation comes under the scanner,” of the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation or other such agencies.
Situation was such that the industrialists who want to invest in India were now scared to do so considering the suffocating political climate of the country.
Banerjee said how she wanted to play a positive role for the general people, the economy and industry adding how she did not increase the railway fare as the Railway Minister.
Today “the Central government is trying to sell off the Indian Railways, BSNL, and Air India… the banks too have been merged. I am scared of the future of the insurance sector also… Unemployment will be the biggest disaster for the country,” she said condemning the Government’s approach towards controlling inflation.
“Look how the onion prices are shooting through the roof and nothingis being done about that,” she said wondering “who is responsible for this epidemic situation.”
In a no-holds-barred attack on the Centre she said how New Delhi’s arrogance was being projected through its blind persuasion of a discriminatory NRC policy which is “designed to pursue a divide-and-rule politics.”
Banerjee criticism of the Centre came almost in tandem with Governor Dhankhar’s condemnation of the State Government when he said that democracy had been caged in Bengal.
A furious Governor who visited the State Assembly on Thursday after informing Speaker Biman Banerjee in advance but “failed to find even as single soul in the Assembly premises,” told the media that “democracy is being humiliated in Bengal,” where a Governor failed to find an entry in the Assembly House.
He said how the Speaker had earlier invited his wife and him to visit the Assembly and even have lunch there but later cancelled the invitation saying he would not be available on the appointed day andtime.
He said “this is sad day for the democracy of the State,” wondering why the gate number 3 which was specially used for the entry of the VVIPs including the Governor was kept closed. “I knew that the House was adjourned for a few days but this does not mean that the secretariat should be closed,” he said adding “you cannot make the legislature captive with such exercises. Democracy is being humiliated, not me. We are caging democracy. However, as the Governor of the state, I will never bow down and will work to uphold the democratic principles of the State.”
Claiming that the purpose of his visit was to see the historicbuilding, the background and to visit the library,” the Governor who met with a similar treatment at the Calcutta University on Wednesday when the top functionaries including the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar went missing when he visited the campus said.
Slamming the Chief Minister he said that she had failed to perform constitutional duties for the last few months, adding how as a Governor he had never been briefed by the Government on important issues like cyclone Bulbul.
The Raj Bhavan and the Nabanna (Secretariat) had been at loggerheads ever since Dhankhar by-passed the State administration and went to rescue Union Minister Babul Supriyo who was trapped in a students’ agitation in Jadavpur University on September 19. Subsequently the Governor took a number of administrative tours on his own accord infuriating the Chief Ministers whose Cabinet colleagues openly hit out at the Governor for running a parallel administration in Bengal at the behest of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.