BJP conspiring to arrest all Oppn leaders before ‘24 polls: Mamata

Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday hit out at the BJP-led Central government, alleging that it was conspiring to arrest all Opposition leaders before the next year’s Lok Sabha polls and cast votes for themselves in an “empty country”.

Her remark comes after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was summoned by the ED for questioning in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case on November 2, while several other leaders were also served notices.

Banerjee said and claimed that the “phones of Opposition party MPs are being hacked”.

“They (Centre) have sent a notice to Arvind (Kejriwal). Five-six MPs have said their phones have been hacked... Let them continue to do it. We cannot humiliate our motherland,” she said.

“Before next year’s elections, they (BJP) are trying to gag the voice of all opposition parties. They are planning to arrest all opposition leaders before the polls so that they can vote for themselves in an empty country. They are hatching a conspiracy,” Banerjee told reporters at Nabanna.

Speaking about the Centre blocking the state’s dues, the TMC supremo said that her party will wait till November 16 and then finalise its next course of action against the Centre’s non-payment of MGNREGA dues to the state government.

“Kali Puja is scheduled on November 12 followed by Bhaiphonta on November 15. On November 16, we will be holding a meeting with all Panchayats, municipality representatives, MP, MLAs and block presidents at Netaji Indoor Stadium where we will prepare the blueprint for our next line of agitation on non-payment of MGNREGA dues. We have already held some programmes to press for funds for 100 days work. We will now further intensify the movement,” Banerjee said. She clarified, with Chaath Puja and Jagadhatri Puja festivals to follow later this month the movement will be planned accordingly to ensure celebrations are not hampered.

TMC, led by its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, and deprived beneficiaries of victims 100 days work, had gone to Delhi in early October to protest against non-payment of MGNREGA dues. “Around Rs 7,000 crore is still pending on this count. The poor rural people are being deprived of their legitimate dues. Despite prior appointment, the Union minister for Rural Development did not meet our delegation in Delhi. Now, our movement will reach its peak if there is further delay in payments of MGNREGA dues,” Banerjee warned.

She alleged that not a single penny was disbursed under Gramin Awas (rural housing) scheme even after the state sent a list of 11 lakh beneficiaries. “They have not allocated funds for rural roads. The state is using its funds to construct 12000 km of rural roads,” she added. In the backdrop of a coal crisis in the country, Banerjee said that the state government is coming up with five big power projects in the state to generate employment. “The central government is calling for the import of coal. An artificial coal crisis has been created in the country so that it is compelled to buy the same, probably from Indonesia. Foreign deals have been signed from coal to defence,” she said.