Modi off Didi note gunsights

TT, Calcutta, Feb. 8: Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee today tore into the state BJP unit but remained silent on Narendra Modi, prompting the Left and the Congress to allege a "renewed understanding" between her and the Prime Minister.

"Dilip babu, I read in newspapers that you and other leaders of your party have said here (at a rally on the Shahid Minar ground on Monday) that all our party leaders will be arrested and everyone in Trinamul will be in jail. You have already lost (the Assembly polls) in Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Punjab," Mamata said in the Assembly, referring to Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh.

BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya had said on Monday that almost the entire Trinamul leadership would be behind bars after the BJP "wins" the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. Kharagpore Sadar MLA Ghosh and BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha had echoed him.

Mamata said: "You people are saying you will tie our MPs to trees in Delhi. Remember, you will not be in power forever. It is our decency that we don't take action against leaders of other parties. If we wanted to, it would have taken us one second."

Ghosh later said Mamata's comments betrayed her "fear". "We would react to these things after the results of the Assembly polls (in five states) are declared on March 11," he said.

Trinamul sources said the shift from attacking Modi on demonetisation was in keeping with the chief minister's "instructions" to the Trinamul parliamentary party during a closed-door meeting on January 30 not to name the Prime Minister in its anti-note-recall remarks.

The Opposition alleged an "understanding" between Mamata and Modi following the arrests of two Trinamul MPs by the CBI in the Rose Valley deposit-mobilisation case. The BJP and Trinamul have denied the allegation.

Mamata did not take the Prime Minister's name today, but said: "We are not afraid of the threats of arrests. If you want, you can arrest all of us. We don't care. It's like when you threaten a child saying go to sleep or else Gabbar Singh will come."

CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty said the chief minister had "softened" her stand on Modi in the aftermath of the arrests of MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Tapas Paul. Chakraborty.