Lakhimpur: 'Killing Raj' going on in UP, claims Mamata
KOLKATA: A day after recording a landslide victory in the Bhabanipur bypoll, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday condemned the violence at Lakhimpur Kheri and slammed BJP and the Yogi Adityanath government by stating that the country was witnessing 'autocracy' and 'killing Raj' in Uttar Pradesh instead of 'Ram Rajya'.
"A killing Raj is going on instead of Ram Rajya as promised by them," Banerjee said after paying a visit to a gurdwara in Bhabanipur. She described the incident at Lakhimpur Kheri as most unfortunate and assured that she would always stand beside the farmers in solidarity.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) has sent a team comprising the party's five MPs — Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Pratima Mondol, Sushmita Dev, Abir Ranjan Biswas and Dola Sen — to Lakhimpur Kheri. Banerjee added that the Centre should send a team of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to UP where crimes were conducted regularly. "NHRC team was sent to Bengal deliberately to malign the state. There is absolute peace here. Send a team to the state where killing, encounter and murder happens every now and then," she said, adding "what a barbaric incident. Such a thing cannot be allowed to happen".
"BJP-led states are specialists in clamping prohibitory order under Section 144 CrPC to stop leaders of Opposition parties from reaching the venue. Our teams were not allowed to meet the people affected by NRC in Assam and the members of the bereaved family in Hathras. In Tripura, they also stopped leaders from visiting the area. This cannot continue," she said.
Earlier in the day, Banerjee along with Abhishek Banerjee, the party's national secretary, visited Sitala Mandir and offered prayers. Her purpose was to thank the voters of the area who had voted for her in great numbers and ensured her victory by a record margin in the by-election. The temple is situated at Kansaripara in ward 71. She had visited the temple during her campaign in the bypoll. Women blew conch shells and showered petals on her while many presented flower bouquets and even gifted her an 'uttariya'.
She also walked down to a gurdwara situated close to SSKM Hospital and offered prayers. People stood on both sides of Harish Mukherjee Road and welcomed her. She waved and acknowledged their respect with folded hands.
Meanwhile, the state Parliamentary Affairs department has written to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar requesting him to conduct the oath-taking ceremony of Mamata Banerjee as an MLA at the state Assembly on October 7 before noon.
The two newly-elected MLAs — Amirul Islam from Jangipur and Jakir Hossain from Samserganj — would also be taking the oath on October 7.
The Parliamentary Affairs department had to write to the Governor to conduct the oath-taking ceremony as the power for the same conferred on the Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay was withdrawn in mid-September.
