Mamata lauds ex-EC Arun Goel for not succumbing to ‘BJP’s pressure’
Kolkata: Addressing a tsunami of people at Brigade Parade Ground on Sunday that created new benchmarks and dispelled any doubts that the Opposition may have been harbouring about Trinamool Congress (TMC) losing grounds amid the Sandeshkhali unrest, party supremo Mamata Banerjee, from the historic rally, alleged that the Centre was attempting to control LS polls in Bengal by manipulating the Election Commission of India (ECI) and said that Election Commissioner (EC) Arun Goel might have resigned due to the pressure by the Centre.
Banerjee on Sunday remarked that her party, a partner of the Opposition bloc INDIA on the national stage, will contest the Lok Sabha polls solo in Bengal and asserted that TMC will confront not only the BJP but also the CPI(M) and Congress in the state.
Addressing the mammoth rally at the Brigade, where the TMC unveiled its candidate lineup for the upcoming LS polls, Banerjee praised the former Election Commissioner Arun Goel for "not succumbing" to what she described as BJP's attempts at coercion.
Speaking about NRC and CAA, Banerjee also said: “People of North Bengal should know I'm there for them. We are with the people of the Hills and the Rajbanshis as well. Matua brothers should see how they talk about CAA only during polls but then backtrack after polls. They will send you to detention camps but I will not allow the same and provide shelter. There will be no NRC or CAA here.”
In an apparent reference to the incident in which the former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay joined the BJP, Banerjee appealed to the judiciary not to work in favour of any political party.
The TMC supremo from “Jonogorjon Sabha” once again gave a clarion call to oust the BJP-led government at the Centre and also attacked the Modi government on various issues, including NRC, influencing judiciary by the ruling party at the Centre.
“The first thing I will talk about here is that an Election Commissioner resigned on Saturday. News reports showed how they have tried taking over forceful control on Bengal and he (the Election Commissioner) didn't accept this. We salute him for his decision from this meeting. In the name of the Commission, they are a blot on the reputation, working at the behest of the BJP government. They are trying to loot the elections. This was proved by the Election Commissioner's resignation,” Banerjee said.
Countering Prime Minister (PM) Modi’s claim that the Centre has given Bengal Rs 43,000 crore but the state government misappropriated funds, Banerjee said Modi’s statement was false. “They said they gave Rs 43,000 crore to Bengal but we siphoned it off. Modi babu, if your officers have given you these facts, verify them. We have created houses and given our share of funds. They have given Rs 29,000 crore and we have given Rs 20,000 crore. We had also given lands. We have made 43,000 houses and after that, they have not given any funds for houses for 2 years now,” Banerjee said.
She again reminded that the state government will provide houses if the Centre continues to deny it. “If they don't give money for 11.36 lakh eligible Awas Yojana beneficiaries by May 1, the state government will make the houses for these beneficiaries,” she said.
Banerjee also slammed the Centre for increasing the price of LPG cooking gas. She also expressed her apprehension that the Modi government may again hike the price after elections. “What guarantee are they giving? There is no value of your guarantee which led to an increase of LPG cooking gas. Ahead of elections, they reduce prices by Rs 100 and then after polls, increase it by Rs 1000,” she added.
“They have earned Rs 70,000 crore through an increase in cooking gas prices. Didn't they think about the poor? Where was the guarantee then? MGNREGA guarantee is a constitutional right. Didn’t we not spend Rs 72,000 crore for creating more than 3 crore man-days? We were at the top. They are angry because we were first in MGNREGA implementation generating a record number of man-days. Around 59 lakh workers were not paid their MGNREGA wages after working for 2 years. We gave them the money and not them,” Banerjee stated.
The Trinamool Congress chief also attacked the BJP government on the Manipur issue and also for the 'Khalishtani' remark made by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on a Sikh IPS officer. “When women were paraded naked on the streets of Manipur, what did BJP do to stop it? How many teams were sent to Manipur?” she said, adding: “We will have to move ahead with all communities together. A Sikh officer was called Khalistani. Muslim brothers are called Pakistani. Dalits and Tapashilis are tortured. We have Ramzan coming but our minority brothers were attacked by cops in Delhi. Then they stopped coverage of the incident.”
Referring to the incident of former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay joining BJP, Banerjee appealed to the judiciary to not follow BJP's directives when people go to them for justice.
Banerjee later in the day wrote on X: "Today, from Bengal to Delhi, the jomidars are trembling with fear at the collective roar of the people. From the #JonogorjonSabha, we vowed to leave @BJP4India in the dust. They are the enemy not just of Bengal but the entire country. Seeing the sea of supporters at Brigade has reaffirmed my faith that Jonogoner Gorjon will ensure BJP's Bishorjon!'
