Days after comparing the powers that be in Delhi with medieval tyrant Muhammad bin Tughaq, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday drew new parallels for the Narendra Modi Government comparing it with the likes of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Joseph Stalin.
Saying that even Stalin, Hitler or Mussolini were better than the present dispensation in Delhi that ruled by CBI, ED et al, Banerjee demanded a complete autonomy for the central agencies.
“This is a government worse than those of Hitler Mussolini or even Stalin,” Banerjee said adding “they are bull-dozing the federal structure of the country by using the central agencies against theopposition parties.”
Demanding autonomy for the central agencies she said, “I do not say that all the officials are bad but the fact is that many of them are influenced by those in power … I think the agencies should be made completely autonomous … I am saying so because this the need of the time … these agencies are bound to be made autonomous in days to come only their salaries will be given by the government.”
Flaying the BJP for sending the central agencies to the houses of the opposition leaders Banerjee referred to a recent raid in the houses of former Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Yadav. “As soon as Laloo ji came out of jail they sent agencies to raid his houses … this is because they want to weaken the opposition parties ahead of the elections,” Banerjee said.
Presently the Trinamool Congress functionaries including its senior ministers and MPs are facing more than a dozen cases of corruption, violence that are being investigated by the central agencies like CBI, ED and NIA — all upon court orders.
Attacking the Centre for bull-dozing the houses of the poor people Banerjee said how in the past week the BJP-run Bihar government sent police even to Bengal to pull down houses of the local people. “The Bihar Police did not even have the courtesy to inform the Bengal Police … they simply sent in their men with bulldozers inside Malda district and pulled down the houses of the poorest of the poor people in that locality ... they know how to break.”
Rebutting arguments that her own government should order a matching reduction of fuel prices following in the footsteps of the Centre which cut petro prices a couple of days ago Banerjee said, after the reduction of petro prices her State too had suffered loss of Rs 641 crore in terms of cess and rebate.
“They (Centre) are asking us to reduce prices but on the other hand they are holding back our dues … they release funds to the BJP-ruled States but do not give funds to the States ruled by the opposition parties and now they are asking us to reduce petro prices,” Banerjee said alleging the Centre had in the past a few of years earned more than Rs 18.23 lakh crore by increasing fuel prices.
“Before Narendra Modi came to power petrol sold for Rs 71.51 in Kolkata … after he came to power there was a reduction in price of crude but the Centre instead of cutting the price went on increasing it to Rs 106.03 in May 2022 … and now they claim credit for reducing the price by a few rupees.”