KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday held Union Home Minister Amit Shah responsible for the coal and cattle smuggling incidents.
Reacting to the recent summons of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to her party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in connection with the coal and cattle smuggling case,
Banerjee said that politics of vengeance against her party has now come to the fore with its tooth and claws.
"Cattle is entering our state from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. I had put a bar on all this but even during Covid, we were asked not to stop the vehicles. We have reduced such incidents. Try to find out what happened before we came. One cannot shrug off responsibilities so easily. Remember, one can be fooled only for some time, but everybody cannot be fooled at all times," she said.
The Trinamool supremo also trained guns at the Opposition parties who have been alleging that money related to cattle smuggling has reached Kalighat,
particularly after the recent arrest of the party's Birbhum chief Anubrata Mondal in connection with the cattle smuggling case.
"They allege that the coal and cattle proceeds are going to Kalighat. Where is the money going? They are not
naming anybody. So is it going to Maa Kali? Please tell the name of the person where the money is going," she remarked. Kalighat is the area where Banerjee's residence is located.
"Under whose domain are coal and cattle? It is the Union Home ministry. If needed we can extend our help. But we don't have any responsibility beyond this," she maintained.
"I have told several times that I've joined politics for social service and hate such blackmailing politics. Nowadays there is a practice of hatred, insult and criticism. I have never done any wrong intentionally," Banerjee said.
She also hit out at the CPI(M) who alleged that her recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was an attempt of 'setting' matters as the central agencies have pulled up their socks in connection with the coal or cattle smuggling probe.
"I do not approach anybody for setting. But political leaders come to me for such settings. I have met the Prime Minister to plead for the release of dues of the central funds for the state's projects that have been pending for long.
I have not been able to do any such setting with anybody and so in my entire political career I have faced atrocity and there is not a single part in my body that has been spared of injuries," she added.