KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seems to have done it again. Less than a fortnight after drawing flak for her disparaging comments on the Park Street rape victim, she has now blamed the Left Front for fabricating rape attacks, deaths of infants in government-run hospitals, and of discouraging her government.
At a press conference in Kolkata on Tuesday, Mamata hit out at the Communist Party of India (Marxist), saying that fake rape charges were being levelled to malign West Bengal's reputation.
According to news agency PTI, the West Bengal Chief Minister, referring to another reported rape at Falta in South 24-Parganas district last week, called it fabricated.
The Trinamool Congress chief alleged that a woman leader of the CPM had told her father to tell the police that it was case of rape.
She has categorically said that incidents were being staged in a planned manner to discredit the government and claimed that the law and order situation in West Bengal was best in the country.
Referring to the recent baby deaths in the state, the Chief Minister called it a staged conspiracy, abetted by the Left Front.
"Fake rape charges are being levelled to malign Bengal's good name. These are all are fabricated allegations. baby deaths too are a planned conspiracy by the Left," she alleged.
Mamata also tried to score brownie points, saying that for the first time ever, the state government had ensured that a regressive practice like bandh, called by different trade unions, had failed.
"Calling a bandh is not progressive, it hampers West Bengal's future. The CPM has been calling a bandh on the same issue over and over again. It is unfortunate that they are spreading lies. All government employees stayed back in office overnight to ensure that work doesn't suffer. We will strongly act against people who are using force to make this bandh a success. For the first time ever in the history of Bengal, the state government has managed to make the opposition bandh a flop show," she claimed.
There were fewer vehicles on the road but several schools and government offices remained open following the warning given by Mamata that absence from duty would be treated as a break in service.