JALAIGURI: As the Centre contradicted Amit Shah's claim that Saradha chit fund money was routed to Bangladesh for terror activities, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today hit back at the BJP chief saying "some people think they can say anything they want".
"I never speak without evidence. I know my boundaries. Some people think they can say anything they want, just because a section of the media is supporting them," Banerjee said in an apparent reference to BJP president Amit Shah's claim that Sardah chit fund money was used in the October two Burdwan blast.
Shah told a rally on November 30, "Saradha chit fund money was used in the Burdwan blast. The NIA is not being allowed to probe the blast properly. Hurdles are being created. It is being done in order to save TMC leaders who are involved in the blast."
The chief minister said after inaugurating development projects for north Bengal, "We do not need money of chit funds. We arrested the kingpin of chit fund."
"Catch me if you can... The surge of development will continue. I am a fighter. I will keep fighting. Counter me politically if you can," Banerjee, Trinamool Congress chief, asserted.
"Amake chamkale ami gorjai. Amake dhamkale ami borshai" (I roar if I am threatened. And if anybody tries to browbeat me then I pour out," she said.
"We are working for the betterment of people. People have elected us (to power) and our accountability is before the people," she said.
Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha in a written response today, "The investigation has so far not revealed any such transaction where money was routed to Bangladesh to fund terrorist activities."
Hitting out at a section of the media, which, she said, was constantly spreading canards to put her government in bad light, Banerjee told the rally, "Just like you should never eat adulterated food, you should also avoid adulterated news."
"Some shops sell bad food. Some shops sell good food. Similarly, some sections of the media sell bad news. We work for the people. They have voted me to power. I am accountable to the people," she said.
Banerjee said the government had returned money to five lakh investors out of a total of 17 lakh.
Outlining various development projects taken up by her government for north Bengal, Banerjee said the government was not in the habit of forgetting projects after they had been inaugurated.
"We come back to inaugurate them," she said.
The Chief Minister said there was so much tourism potential in north Bengal, but the previous CPI(M)-led government did not do anything.
"From expediting the work on Circuit Bench (of Calcutta High Court) in Jalpaiguri, formation of a new district, everything has been done by us," she claimed.
"One lakh youths will get employment at marketing centres. We are setting up Kishan Bazaars and cold storages," she said, adding that 500 marketing centres would be set up across Bengal which would generate a lot of employment.
The Chief Minister also referred to transport facility provided to pregnant women to go to hospitals for delivery and free beds for them at all district/sub-division/block level hospitals.
Listing upcoming projects, she said a Hindi college and a small-scale industrial park on a 200-acre plot were coming up at Banarahat in Jalpaiguri district.
Banerjee said 16 lakh girls have been enrolled under Kanyashree scheme which was launched by her government on October 1, 2013 to empower women through improved health services and education of girls.
"We have started a branch Secretariat 'Uttarkanya' for north Bengal. We created a new district Alipurduar. We have started mobile medical units for this region. We are involving workers of closed tea gardens in 100 Days' Work Scheme", she said.
Asserting that development of Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Coochbehar was her priority, she said that her government was giving rice at Rs 2/kilo to workers of closed tea gardens.
Banerjee also inaugurated a sports village at Jalpaiguri.