Situation of country grim, politics of isolation not correct, says Mamata

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said India's current situation was grim and politics of isolation was going on. "The situation in the country is grim… The policy of divide and rule is not correct. The politics of isolation going on is also not correct," she said at a gathering that observed Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at Red Road.

"Be happy and have faith in me. I promise today till I am alive, I will fight for the cause of the people, whether they are Muslims or Hindus or Sikhs or Jains," she asserted. She was aware of the nitty-gritty of festivals of the Muslim community and had written six books in Urdu, she pointed out. Referring to the names of ministers in her Cabinet who were from the minority community, she stated that she wanted to take everyone along. She urged the members of the minority community to emphasise on the education of children so that they could become IAS and IPS officers.

The Eid 'namaz' at Red Road was held after two years due to various Covid-induced curbs.

Without naming the BJP, Banerjee stated that attempts are being made to divide Hindus and Muslims. She said: "There are jealous people who keep on telling lies to create division among Hindus and the Muslims. Do not be scared and keep on fighting."

Banerjee quoted the lines from a song sung by legend Lata Mangeshkar: "Ishwar allah tero naam, sabko sanmati de bhagwan" (Ishwar, Allah they are all your names; bestow wisdom on all, Lord!), to underline her point.

She added: "The politics of divide and isolation is not good. If needed, I will sacrifice my life but will never allow anyone to cause a dent in communal peace and harmony." Calling Bengal the safest place, she said: "Here in Bengal, there is absolute peace and communal harmony. For several generations, people from different religions, faiths and communities have been living here peacefully. If there is any attempt to disturb communal peace and harmony, we will fight together against the evil forces."

Praying for world peace and harmony, Banerjee said she was very happy to see the growth of young Muslim boys and girls. "I am sure that they will crack the all India civil services examination some day because of their hard work and sincerity," she said.

Mamata was accompanied by Abhishek Banerjee, the national general-secretary of Trinamool Congress.

From Red Road, she along with Abhishek went to the house of Rizwanur Rahman in Park Circus. She placed flowers on the plaque installed in his memory. Rizwanur was a 30-year-old computer graphics teacher in Kolkata, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances during the Left Front rule in September 2007.

Later, she also spoke to his mother and spent some time with the family members. Rezwanur's elder brother Rukbanur is Trinamool Congress MLA from Chopra in Murshidabad.