KOLKATA: With violence raging across West Bengal over panchayat board formation, state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said former armed CPM cadres are now butchering people on the behest of BJP.
Speaking at a public rally of Trinamool Congress's student wing Chhatra Parishad here on Tuesday, the TMC supremo said: "The same Harmads (term used for CPM's armed cadres) who terrorised West Bengal during 34 years of CPM rule are now BJP's 'ustaads', their butchers."
"I kept Jangalmahal (former Maoist bastion of western districts) and Darjeeling calm for seven years. But after winning a few seats in Jangalmahal, BJP is unleashing terror there. They had shut Darjeeling for six months last year," she added.
On the 'Asthi Kalash Yatra', Banerjee said BJP dishonoured former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by 'playing politics' with his ashes.
Speaking of growth of Hindutva organisations in the state, the Chief Minister said: -"I respect the old RSS who worked hard. But this new RSS is forming 'Bahinis' to foment trouble in Bengal."
On the NRC issue, she hit out at BJP saying: "Let them touch one Indian in Bengal, we have tiger cubs here. You are demanding other's family roots, first show us the birth certificates of your mother and grandmother."
Speaking on Narada scam, the TMC supremo said: -"Someone took Rs 1 lakh for party funds and you tortured them in the name of Narada. Why should there not be any screening of BJP's foreign funding which it uses to buy votes?"
"They speak of Indira Gandhi's emergency. This is 'untold emergency'. We have seen many bad governments ruling India since 1947 but no one has been so autocratic. They have bought national media and are sacking journalists speaking against BJP. They even removed Amartya Sen from Nalanda University," she added.
Hitting out at economic issues, she said: "Non-performing assets (NPA) during UPA rule in 2010 was Rs 2 lakh crore which has now increased to Rs 14.7 lakh crore."
The TMC supremo also asked youth TMC workers to retort to BJP supporters on social media. -"If they abuse you or spread lies, you give them 10 abuses," she added.
Retorting to BJP President Amit Shah's rally at the same venue on August 11, Yuva TMC supremo and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee said: "BJP lacks big leaders in West Bengal which is why they are bringing in leaders from Delhi. If BJP has allegations against me they should prove it. We won the elections both in vote and in court."
On the other hand, TMC worker Pabitra Sarangi was killed in factional feud in Salboni of Jhargram district on Tuesday, taking the death toll on panchayat board formation in the state to six. Sarangi's father and mother were burnt to death allegedly by CPM cadres in 2002.
Violence was reported across the state on Tuesday, with major incidents reported in Itahar and Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur district and in Dantan in Paschim Medinipur district.
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