A day after Durga Puja won the UNESCO world heritage tag Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday attacked the saffron leadership for criticising her all these years for allegedly not letting Hindu festivals take place in her State.
“Some people (read the BJP leadership) now have egg on their face …Some people used to spread canards against me saying ‘Mamata does not allow Durga Puja and other festivals in Bengal … now that the UNESCOhas put Durga Pujas on world heritage list what these people have to say … they should blacken their faces in shame,” the Chief Minister said adding “you can abuse Mamata … but can abuse UNESCO … I have only one mantra … fight against these evil forces … I have created three generations that will continue to fight against theseforces.”
Addressing an election rally in support of TMC candidates in Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections Banerjee said “days are coming whenthese people who criticize us will be shamed by more such honours that we will win … we have already won international awards for Kanya Shree… we will soon win awards like the social schemes like Laxmir Bhandar, Duare Sarkar and other farmer and worker-friendly programmes.”
Announcing a Rs 24,000 crore programme for the development of Kolkata she said the whole city would be linked with a maze of flyovers adding“tomorrow Bengal will be known for its massive development … we willbe number one not only in India but all over the world.”
Vouching for the industrial projects in Bengal she said “we have created a Silicon Valley in Salt Lake where TCS is going to employ 50,000 people … similarly Deucha Pachami coal project will see employment of 1 lakh youth.”
Saying that Bengal was the only State in India where the retiredGovernment servants still got pension she claimed “the Centre was pressuring me to discontinue such schemes but I refused.”
She also said that by 2024 all households in Kolkata would get drinking waterline and additional 200 water pumps would be installed in the city to rid water logging.
KMC elections are going to take place on December 19. Results will bedeclared on 21st December.Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday rejected the BJP’s plea seeking central forces saying such decision was for the State Election Commission to take.