Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today took pot-shots at each other over the issues of women’s safety and corruption in the State.
In all three rallies in West Bengal on Friday, the Prime Minister hit out at the Trinamool Congress for the corruption in the School Service Commission scam in which 26,000 have lost their jobs.
Addressing rallies in Bardhaman-Durgapur and Krishnanagar, Narendra Modi said: “Although I want all those involved in corruption by the TMC to be punished but don’t want the innocent to suffer. The corruption that the TMC has done in Bengal in school recruitment is shameful. Due to this scam, several genuine candidates have suffered. I have asked the Bengal BJP unit on behalf of the party to create a separate legal cell and social media platform to provide help to the genuine candidates and teachers,”
“The BJP will support such honest candidates and will provide them legal help and will fight for them. This is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.
PM Modi underscored the lack of accountability within the Trinamool Congress, listing a series of scams: “TMC leaders have a record of committing various types of unimaginable scams – from Ponzi schemes, ration, and recruitment scams, to coal and animal trafficking scams. Each scam is worth several hundred crores of rupees, reflecting how these people have looted the public in every way.”
He said that the Trinamool Congress had allowed anti-social elements to exploit the people, capturing villages, hospitals, police stations, and mines. This is mafia rule, not governance.
The recent incident in Sandeshkhali is a result of this. Investigating agencies are attacked, and the State Government supports the attackers. TMC is running a mobocracy, not a republic. The court has to reprimand the Government daily. It’s crucial to stop such anti-democratic activities. Strengthen Modi to safeguard democracy and the Constitution,” the PM.
PM Modi alleged that Trinamool Congress was indulging in politics of appeasement. “Why have Hindus become second-class citizens in Bengal? An MLA of TMC gave a statement recently that they will throw Hindus in the Bhagirathi River. What kind of politics is this? Is appeasement more important than humanity for the TMC?” the PM asked. “The Congress, TMC and Left parties only believe in the politics of appeasement,” the PM added, referring to the reported remarks of Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir on“throwing Hindus in the Bhagirathi River.
During his address, PM Modi also criticized the Trinamool Congress for its “apathy towards the victims in Sandeshkhali”. “The State Government, due to its appeasement politics, didn’t touch the main accused in the Sandeshkhali case as his name is Shahjahan Sheikh.
So many atrocities were committed against women there, and the entire country wanted punishment for the culprits.
But, the TMC kept protecting the main accused till the end,” he said.
The PM also claimed: “Modi ensures direct transfer of funds to beneficiaries’ bank accounts, cutting out middlemen. However, TMC insists on channelling funds through their accounts.
Modi’s approach is a direct benefit, while TMC obstructs Central Government schemes by insisting on controlling funds.”
PM Modi also came down heavily on the Bengal Government for opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act. “The Congress, TMC and Left parties only believe in the politics of appeasement,” Modi added.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee struck back from her election rally in Bardhaman. Bringing up the Sandeshkhali issue, which was used by the BJP to condemn her party, Mamata Banerjee hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that while he had a lot to say at the time, he has kept quiet over the sexual harassment charges levelled against West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose despite being in the State when the allegations were made.
The Trinamool Congress chief also asked Governor Bose – who had made a series of statements against the Government over the alleged sexual harassment of women by Trinamool leaders in Sandeshkhali: “How can he talk about the dignity of women when he has been accused of doing the same thing at his official residence.
Addressing a rally in Bardhaman, Banerjee said: “Modi has given so many messages (‘sandesh’) on Sandeshkhali. I did not let any untoward incident happen there. There was an issue around land but we solved it by sending officers to the village. But what are you doing? Yesterday, a young woman working at the Raj Bhavan came out and spoke out against the Governor’s harassment.”
“Even yesterday, the Governor asked why my Minister spoke against him. I have heard of many such incidents but I did not bring them up. But yesterday, the tears of the woman broke my heart. The Governor spoke about Sandeshkhali but why did he do this to someone working for him? He molested her not once, but twice,” she alleged.
Stating that she had seen the video of the woman’s testimony, the Chief Minister asked why the Prime Minister, who was in Bengal and had stayed at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday night, had not said anything. “Your people were also there when she left crying and said she was scared of working at the Raj Bhavan. She said she was called at odd hours and was subjected to harassment. And these are the people who talk about the dignity of our mothers and sisters,” she alleged.
Mamata Banerjee also accused the BJP of running a “washing machine” to whitewash corrupt leaders. “Modi and the BJP is the biggest corruption racket,” she said.
