West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday alleged in the assembly that the opposition BJP was planning to create disturbances by creating division among the people to show the state in a bad light before next year’s general elections.
Speaking in the state assembly during a discussion, Banerjee claimed she has information that the BJP’s planning was chalked out during a recent meeting held in New Delhi with senior leaders of the party’s state unit.
She claimed that the saffron party also plans to fund “any party that can divide the votes of the Trinamool Congress”.
“I have information regarding the BJP meeting in the national capital. I will not name those present in it. They are planning to divide society on the basis of religion and caste. They are planning to highlight alleged crimes against women and weaker sections including SCs, STs and Rajbangshis so that the state can be shown in a bad light,” she said.
Discussions were held on twin adjournment motions moved by the BJP in the state assembly which was admitted by Speaker Biman Banerjee.
In the first adjournment motion, the BJP sought a discussion on the recent incidents of crimes against women in the state, while the second was related to the incidents of violence and killings during the recently-concluded panchayat elections.
Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, brought the motion.
However, after the CM started to speak on the motion and referred to power cuts at a counting booth in the Nandigram seat during the 2021 assembly elections, the BJP members waved black clothes and staged a walkout.
“Did you forget what happened in Nandigram after the lights were switched off for two hours?” Banerjee said.
The CM had lost to Adhikari in the Nandigram seat.
Talking to reporters at the press corner of the state assembly, Adhikari questioned why Banerjee was allowed to speak on the Nandigram election issue despite the matter being sub-judice.
He demanded that Banerjee’s remark made inside the House be expunged.
“After winning in Nandigram, I wanted to thank the people of my constituency in the assembly. I was not allowed to speak as it was a pending matter. But the CM spoke about this in the assembly today,” Adhikari said.
“The TMC does not follow democracy. They have won the elections by looting votes. People will avenge this. The Opposition wants discussions and the ruling party avoids those.
“Yet today, we have brought the pending motion under the leadership of Manoj Tigga regarding the deterioration of the law and order situation. I thank the Speaker for accepting our proposal and allowing a discussion,” the BJP leader said.
Later, BJP legislator Ambika Roy said the chief minister raised the Nandigram issue to divert attention from the main point of the adjournment motion which was violence in the recently-concluded panchayat polls.
The CM, who continued speaking even after the BJP MLAs led by Adhikari left the House, rubbished the saffron party’s allegations about lawlessness in the state during the rural polls.
She said 29 people were killed from the day dates for the polls were announced.
“I too have the right to say and question how the results at Nandigram changed after the power cut. Why are you all shying away now? Clashes took place at seven places in West Bengal and you (BJP) are claiming that violence happened in 22 districts. They are only trying to bring a bad name for our state,” Banerjee said.
The CM also referred to crimes against women in BJP-ruled states and said that West Bengal has a lesser number of such crimes.
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