Mamata lashes out at PM for misusing central agencies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is deliberately maligning his opponents, projecting them as thieves by letting loose the central agencies, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said after inaugurating the Baul Utsav in Birbhum on Tuesday afternoon.

She said that the moment she raised her voice against Modi, the latter began to unleash all kinds of repressive measures. “Mamata Banerjee is opposing me so send CBI and project her as a thief. Are all artists thieves?” she asked adding “Modi babu, people no longer want you. I will remain but you will go,” she said. She said tax was being collected from common people and later, they were being branded as thieves. “A tragedy has struck our country. The Centre is collecting tax from common people and then projecting them as thieves,” she added.

She reiterated that she had never seen such a dictatorial government in her life. She remarked that people do not have cash and are being forced to face all kinds of hardship. “People do not have cash. People’s money has been declared black and BJP’s black money is white,” she asked.

She urged people coming from all walks of life to put up resistance and protest against all kinds of oppression. She cautioned them against CPI(M) and BJP. “CPI(M) has destroyed Bengal. Because of them, we have to pay crore of rupees to clear the loan. Now, CPI(M) has joined hands with BJP. They will have to be defeated,” she said.

She remarked the USA had once blacklisted Modi for causing riots “but despite that Modi has not changed a bit. He is still conspiring.”

She said that Bengal should move forward. Tea gardens, small factories and jute mills are closing down because of the cash crunch. People engaged in 100 days work are not getting money. Due to demonetisation, 30% people have lost their jobs. Small traders have been badly hit and farmers do not have money to buy seeds.

Banerjee urged local clubs to help artists. Despite constraints, the state government had helped the artists and prepared schemes for them. Around 8000 artists have been brought under the scheme. She said eco-tourism would soon start in Birbhum. She also announced setting up of a university at Birbhum. Expressing her admiration for Baul music she said “Baul is the music of our soil. To make this music popular, the foundation stone of Baul academy was laid today (Tuesday),” she said adding that “the academy should be of international standard.”

TMC MPs will meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday at the end of their three-day dharna to draw his attention towards “hardship” being faced by the common man due to demonetisation.

TMC MPs have been staging protest against the Modi government’s demonitisation drive and the arrest of their party MPs in the alleged Rose Valley chit fund scam here since January 9.

“There is political vendetta against us because we are opposing Modi government’s demonitisation drive. We will meet the President tomorrow at 2 PM after the end of the three-day dharna in the capital,” according to a senior TMC leader.

Raising slogans like “Modi hatao desh bachao”, about 30 TMC MPs from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha staged a sit-in near the party office at South Avenue for the second day.