Mamata Banerjee’s “akrosh” knew no bound even as the Bengal Chief Minister on Monday decanted immeasurable venom on a “faceless Prime Minister Narendra Modi” for his “baseless” policy of “cashless” economy and vowed to “drive him away from Indian politics,” should he not roll back demonetisation affording respite to the aam aadmi.
Banerjee who tended to smartly blend the poor man’s cash hardship with some TMC leaders’ wealth woes — post November 8 — led a massive rally in Kolkata from where she said, “Modi babu has decimated Indian economy through his unplanned and mindless move of demonetisation.”
In a speech delivered partly in Bengali and partly Hindi apparently to make it audible and legible to the Prime Minister the Chief Minister said “he is acting like a dictator and India does not need one.
“This faceless Modi is giving a baseless argument of cashless economy. He has finished Indian economy and now the poor people of this country like farmers and labourers are starving. This all has happened due to his dictatorial attitude. We are telling him to rollback demonetisation or we will drive him out of Indian politics.”
She thundered: “I call upon the people from all walks of life particularly the civil society to come out on the streets against this draconian move that is killing the common man. Here people are starving and you are asking them to move to cashless society. This is not only obnoxious but Tughlaqan.”
She said the one move of the Prime Minister had affected all sections of the society in one go Banerjee said showing however, no public concern for a large section of TMC leaders who had allegedly lost hundreds of crores in demonetisation.
“India does not need a dictator who threatens with the use of CBI, ED and I-T if you raise your voice against him,” Banerjee said, adding “things had come to such a pass in India that you have to eat, sing, walk and talk with the permission of Modi or else they will send Agencies in your house.”
Apparently getting ferocious by the day to provide as much succor to the aam aadmi as to her own party men Banerjee threatened to hold a dharna at Prime Minister’s house in Delhi. “With a goal to drive away a dictator like Modi from Indian politics the next destination of our mass movement will be the Prime Minister’s house in Delhi where we will stage a dharna,” she said adding the Prime Minister would be required to explain more than 80 deaths that were caused on account of demonetisation.
Banerjee’s public outcry came on a day when a dawn-to-dusk Bengal bandh called by the left Front turned out to be a huge flop even as life remained almost normal barring a few places in Birbhum and lake Town in northern Kolkata.
Hours after he bandh bombed CPI(M) politburo member Biman Bose tendered a public apology saying the call was not well-timed and that the left would retrace its steps in future. The only saving grace for the left was the huge turnout in their rally also.
Clearly failing to raise a joint movement against demonetisation all the three major parties: Trinamool, left and Congress took out separate processions making the BJP leadership to wonder whether the opposition was talking in one voice and whether their agenda and view against demonetisation was the same.