Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday launched a scathing attack on the BJP Government for using agencies to victimise its leaders and vowed to throw out the saffron party from power in 2024. The Banerjees’ tirade came days after the arrest of senior Trinamool Congress leaders Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mondal on charges of corruption and cattle smuggling respectively.
Saying that plans were being hatched to arrest her too, the Chief Minister dared the Centre to go ahead with its plans and see the consequence. Abhishek Banerjee on the other hand chose Home Minister Amit Shah for "lecturing lessons on patriotism" while his own son Jay Shah refused to wave the National Flag when offered to do so after India thrashed Pakistan in Sunday’s match in Dubai.
“Every day they are sending agencies to the houses of some leader or the other,” Banerjee said in reference to Partha Chatterjee and Mondal. “I don’t mind law taking its own course but why this disinformation campaign … then they arrested Keshto (Anubrata Mondal) who always helps others,” Banerjee told while addressing a Trinamool Congress Chatra Parishad rally adding, the agencies were now targeting other senior leaders like Bobby (Firhad) Hakim, Abhishek Banerjee, Maloy Ghatak and even herself.
“The ED and CBI are planning to arrest Bobby, Chandrima Bhattaacharya (Finance Minister), Abhishek, Maloy Ghatak and even me … as if everyone in the TMC is a thief and everyone in the BJP is a Sadhu,” the Chief Minister said daring the BJP to arrest her and see the consequence.
“Let them come and arrest me and then they will feel the consequence … it is not so easy,” Banerjee said adding her next and only aim was to oust the BJP from India. “This is my pledge to save India by throwing the BJP out of the country in 2024 elections,” Banerjee said adding “even if you put me in jail I will show my mettle from there as I did during the last year’s elections by defeating the BJP even after I was beaten up by them.”
Abhishek Banerjee on the other hand slammed Amit Shah for preaching nationalism while failing to impart the same lesson in his own son.
“After yesterday’s match in Dubai when India thrashed Pakistan everyone saw Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah refused to waive the National Flag even after he was offered to do so … is this the kind of nationalism you preach Amit Shah ji through your Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav,” the junior Banerjee said demanding either the Home Minister disowned her son or resigned his post.
“I ask the Home Minister to either disown his son or resign his post after the insult that his son heaped on the Indian tri-colour,” Abhishek said.
He also attacked the Home Minister whose ministry is in charge of the BSF and CISF for failing to discipline his forces. “Here our leaders are arrested for cow and coal smuggling whereas these two assets are guarded by the CISF and BSF which work with the Home Ministry … so I must say that all the ill-gotten money goes to the Home Ministry and Amit Shah … so the Home Minister must resign,” the TMC MP said adding like it happened in the case of Partha Chatterjee who was arrested after the highly successfully July 21 party rally someone from the TMC would be arrested in five-six days’ time after today’s successful rally.