KOLKATA: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee set tongues wagging in West Bengal's political circles by praising RSS, the ideological parent of the BJP, her party's arch rival in the state, saying all in the organisation are not bad and don't support the saffron camp.
Accusing the BJP-led Union government of using central forces for political ends and referring to arrest of two TMC heavyweights -- former minister Partha Chatterjee and party's strongman Anubrata Mondal -- by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate, Mamata on Wednesday said, "There are conspiracies. We are being blackmailed. RSS is not that bad. There are still people in the RSS who do not support saffron politics."
The RSS, however, chose to ignore Mamata's praise and requested her to stop political violence in the state.
"There can be political differences. But that doesn’t justify killing supporters of opposition parties. Around 60 BJP supporters were killed in the violence that was unleashed after the 2021 Assembly elections," said RSS state general secretary Jishnu Basu.
"She is the Chief Minister of those who voted for her party and voted against her party. She should have ensured law and order in place," Basu added.
CPI(M)'s politburo member Mohammad Selim said Mamata's praise for RSS was evidence that she and the BJP are hand-in-glove.
State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the comment was expected from Mamata. "She allied with the BJP-led NDA during former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s tenure. She has a strong connection with the BJP and RSS as well," he said.