Coming down heavily on Union Home Minister Amit Shah for “denigrating Bengal” in Parliament Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that it hurt her if someone spoke against the affairs of her State.
“It really hurts me if someone tells that those who come to Bengal will be murdered … this is nothing but a planned propaganda to humiliate Bengal,” the Chief Minister said, reacting to an earlier remark by Shah that if one went to Bengal one would be killed.
Giving a strong reply the Chief Minister asked “why don’t you talk about Uttar Pradesh where the victims who go to the police station to lodge complaints are victimized there also,” adding “in a State (like Bengal) with 11 crore population if there are 5 incidents some people start shouting with a narrow political motive but they keep mum in
case of other places … I must say that Bengal is better than many other states of India.” On Shah’s statement about the BSF not getting adequate help from the local administration in stopping infiltration, Banerjee said that the Home Minister was trying to use the paramilitary forces to rule Bengal by proxy. “Now from his statement we can see that the cat is out of the bag … they are trying to use the BSF to overrule Bengal which is dangerous and goes against the federal structure of the county,” Banerjee said adding the “Home Minister should not complicate the situation in the
State … I will warn him against playing with fire … or else there will be a strong retaliation from the people who will retaliate with full democratic force.”
On Shah’s comment on deteriorating law and order situation of the State she wondered whether he was the Home Minister of India or Bengal. “Law and order is a State subject and it should be better left to the State Government … what he is talking is all rubbish about Bengal,” Banerjee said warning “the Home Minister is talking beyond his jurisdiction.”
Saying that unlike the BJP her Government always walked the talk Banerjee said “here in Bengal we provide Laxmir Bhandar aiding the poor with funds but there the BJP launches bhandar (stores) of canards … I will request him to work for the people instead of disturbing the State Governments.”