CM slams Ghosh over 'shoot like dogs' comment, calls it 'shameful'
Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh for condoning the shooting of protesters in party-ruled states during the Citizenship Amendment Act agitation, reminding him that "Bengal is no Uttar Pradesh".
"They say more bullets should be fired? This is shameful!" Banerjee said, without naming Dilip Ghosh.
Speaking from the dharna manch of the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad, she said: "I am a political leader and you think I will encourage police firing? They are saying that the BJP government in UP has done the right thing, so why not in Bengal? Bengal is not Uttar Pradesh. Many of you want police firing in Bengal. That's why you all are doing this drama of protest. If anything happens, you will also be responsible."
Banerjee also told the state BJP chief that Bengal and Uttar Pradesh are poles apart. "Bengal is not UP. Twenty-three people have been killed there. This is Bengal," she said.
The feud within the saffron party seemed to be out in the open with Union Minister of State for Forest Babul Supriyo criticising the BJP state president for his crass and shocking statement that those damaging government properties would have been 'shot like dogs', had the saffron outfit been in power in Bengal.
Ghosh had made the appalling statement while addressing a gathering at Nadia on Sunday, which subsequently drew the ire of people from every strata of society.
The BJP leader had said those who had caused damage to government properties in Uttar Pradesh and Assam had been "gunned down like dogs" and those doing the same in Bengal would have met with the same fate if the BJP government was in power here.
Describing Ghosh's statement as "very irresponsible", Babul Supriyo tweeted: "BJP as a party has nothing to do with what Dilip Ghosh may have said. It is a figment of his imagination. The BJP governments in UP and Assam have never resorted to shooting people for any reason whatsoever. Very irresponsible statement."
Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress MP and president of the party's youth wing also took a dig at Ghosh and tweeted: "Although Dilip Ghosh correctly characterised his party, his party MP refuting his stance publicly raises serious doubts over his credibility to lead the BJP in Bengal."
He further tweeted: "Dilip babu please let us all know if your statements are to be seen as personal opinion or views of your party."
Twitterati reacted angrily to Dilip Ghosh's reported threat. #Dilip Ghosh trended with 6,014 tweets.
One user reacted: "BJP leader from West Bengal, Dilip Ghosh, proudly proclaims that CAA protestors in 'BJP-ruled states were shot like dogs'. And other states should deal with protestors the same way. The BJP says those are Ghosh's personal views. Shouldn't he face the sack for such provocative remarks?"
Another tweeted: "Ghosh is an embarrassment to not just his party but to Bengal as well. He boasts of how the BJP shot protestors in BJP-ruled states 'like dogs'. This kind of man deserves to be publicly punished and humiliated for speaking like this."
Meanwhile, hundreds of primary teachers and their colleagues from Madhyamik Siksha Kendra (MSK) and Sishu Siksha Kendra (SSK) staged a demonstration outside the BJP office on Muralidhar Sen Lane, demanding the withdrawal of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).
They also demanded that Dilip Ghosh should tender an unconditional apology.
The demonstrators burnt the effigy of Amit Shah as well. Moreover, teachers, students and research scholars, irrespective of their political colour, took out a rally at Ballygunge Science College demanding the withdrawal of CAA and NRC. The teachers said that CAA was made to divide the country and destroy the social fabric.
