Mamata dares PM to prove charges
Rampurhat: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah for alleging that she sold her paintings to chit-fund owners and dared them to prove that she took money.
Addressing a public meeting here, Banerjee said the BJP leaders have no courtesy and indulge in unrestrained character assassination of other political heads which has forced her party to initiate defamation proceedings "over the baseless allegation".
"Modi Babu (PM), I challenge you to prove that I have taken a single penny (for selling the paintings) in my account. You talk like a barbarian and have no courtesy," Banerjee added.
Without naming Shah, the Chief Minister called him "half-educated and corrupt" and said he should either prove that Durga and Saraswati pujas are not being organised in Bengal or quit politics.
She also blasted the Centre for sending Income Tax notice to Durga Puja committees in Bengal. "They are sending I-T notice to Durga Puja organisers here. Why target Bengal? What about Puja committees in UP and Maharashtra? Why are you not sending I-T notice to Ganesh puja committees in Maharashtra? Do you have the guts to do that? You vent your ire only on Bengal. You are maligning the image of Bengal by spreading false information. You are disrespecting the people of the state. You only badmouth Bengal and have never done anything for it," Banerjee maintained.
Amit Shah had said during a public meeting in Contai on Tuesday that Durga and Saraswati pujas are not being held in Bengal.
Banerjee further said: "They are saying that we copied their schemes. Our Kanyashree scheme was launched in 2013. Their
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme was launched in 2015. Our 'Nirmal Bangla' scheme was launched much before their Swachh Bharat Scheme. We pay the money for farmers insurance. They are only speaking lies. If I am saying wrong then cut my head. They don't know anything except indulging in riots."
Banerjee said the BJP feel jealous about the development that has taken place in Bengal.
Reiterating that the BJP will not get a single seat in Bengal in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, she said: "This time it will be 42-0. There will be big zero because people will not vote for habitual liars."
She also alleged that the Election Commission is now being run by the BJP. Referring to the speech delivered by Shah at Contai where he had said counting of EVMs will start at 9 am and by 1 pm Trinamool Congress will be ousted. "I respect the Election Commission of India but now, I find it has become an agency of the BJP. How can one say when the counting will begin and when it will end. Who are these people to say this," she said.
Criticising the CPI(M) she said in 34 years of rule, the party did not carry out any development in Bengal.
"Unemployment has been brought down by 40 percent. In ease of doing business, e-governance and MSME, Bengal is number 1. The income of the farmers has gone up three times and Bengal has got Krishi Karman award for five consecutive years," she said.
Banerjee urged people to get united and thwart any attempt to divide the state by spreading canards. "You should put up resistance and stop any attempt to divide Bengal," she maintained.
