Kolkata: Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed Union Home minister Amit Shah for his “undemocratic” and “unconstitutional” remarks that the TMC government won’t survive beyond 2025 if the BJP wins 35 seats in the next year’s Lok Sabha polls.
Accusing Shah of hatching a conspiracy to topple her government, Banerjee on Monday demanded his resignation. She also expressed doubts about the ‘real story’ in connection with the terrorist attack at Pulwama in Jammu & Kashmir in February 2019 in which as many as 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) police personnel were killed and demanded an impartial probe into it.
While addressing a public meeting at Suri in Birbhum last Friday, Shah had said if the BJP gets 35 Lok Sabha seas in the state then the TMC government will collapse by 2025.
“I appeal to you to give us at least 35 seats in West Bengal in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. If you give us 35 seats, then the TMC government will not survive beyond 2025,” Shah had said.
Branding his remarks as “undemocratic” and “unconstitutional”, Banerjee, addressing a news conference at Nabanna, said: “On Friday, Amit Shah addressed a rally. That is fine. But how can the Union Home minister of the country talk about toppling a democratically elected government of a state? Is the Constitution of the country being changed? Instead of protecting the federal structure of the country, and the Constitution, the Union Home minister is conspiring to topple an elected government. Which law of the country allows him to say such things? He has no right to remain the Union Home minister. In a democratic manner, we want his resignation as the Union Home minister.”
Alluding to the recent statement by former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik who has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to stay silent over some alleged lapses he flagged, Banerjee said: “My question is whether a single Central investigation team went to Pulwama after that incident. We also demand a proper inquiry into the matter. We had flagged the issue of intelligence failure at that time.”
Banerjee claimed that the BJP won’t return to power in the next Parliamentary polls while reiterating her appeal to the Opposition leaders to unite against the saffron party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Banerjee again stated that she will not allow NRC to be implemented in Bengal. She said that the Centre has recently sent a letter for allegedly ‘torturing’ people of a particular community. “In the Central government’s letter, it has been mentioned that they want to again conduct an Aadhaar verification drive to check invalid card holders. They have also given specific areas where these activities will be carried out. Most of the places are in North and South 24-Parganas. The Centre is again playing with fire before elections by raising NRC and CAA issues. Some of the districts where the ‘said’ verification drive will be held include places like Barasat, Ashok Nagar, Madhyamgram, Basirhat, Hasnabad, Bongaon Bagda, Petropol, Barrackpore, Naihati, Jagatdal, Basudebpur, Dum Dum, Khardaha, Salt Lake, Baguihati, Lake Town, New Town, Baruipur, Canning, Sonarpur, Malikpur among others,” Banerjee said.
Referring to CBI’s summons to her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, she said: “Are they trying to send out a message that a chief minister can be summoned and questioned? If a CM can be questioned, why can’t the Home minister be questioned too?”
Banerjee added that if a single sporadic incident happens, BJP sends Central teams, takes the help of all commissions, and sends fact-finding teams from Delhi. “All this is done to stop the developmental work here. The Central government has halted Bengal’s legitimate funds. In fact, the Central government officers have directly mentioned that BJP leaders in Bengal have asked them to stop Bengal’s funds. They are planning to stop our funds till 2024,” she maintained.
Referring to the arrest of Trinamool Congress MLAs in connection with the multi-crore scam in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in the state, Banerjee alleged that it is a ploy to reduce the strength of her party within the Assembly.
“The Central agencies are only targeting our MLAs. They are not targeting any of the BJP legislators. But they will not be successful in this ploy, since our numerical strength in the Assembly is quite high,” she added.