BJP ‘monstrous’, Trinamul ‘humane’: Mamata Banerjee

The Bengal chief minister was addressing the Assembly on Wednesday at the conclusion of a discussion on governor Jagdeep Dhankhar’s address on Monday

The Assembly during the commotion on Monday. : Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Meghdeep Bhattacharyya   |   TT  |   Calcutta   |   10.03.22  :   Mamata Banerjee has torn into the BJP over the ways in which it allegedly conducts its politics and governments, accusing the party of not believing in democracy, ruining the nation and craving “awshanti (unrest)” while the Trinamul Congress strives for “shanti (peace)”.

The Bengal chief minister was addressing the Assembly on Wednesday at the conclusion of a discussion on governor Jagdeep Dhankhar’s address on Monday. She underscored various “achievements” of her government and was critical of the alleged lapses of governments run by the BJP.

“The BJP does not believe in democracy. The BJP has been destroying the entire nation,” said Mamata in her 40-minute address. There was aggressive sloganeering, including “Jai Shri Ram” chants, by BJP members during her speech.

The BJP was protesting the suspension by Speaker Biman Banerjee of two of its MLAs for their role in stalling Dhankhar’s address by nearly an hour on Monday.

Referring to the recent suspension of her party’s Rajya Sabha members Dola Sen and Shanta Chhetri, Mamata said: “(What about) When they suspended our MPs in the Rajya Sabha? Every single (Opposition) vote matters there.”

“Why should there be a difference in Bengal?” she asked.

When the BJP MLAs kept trying to interrupt her with “Jai Shri Ram” slogans and cheers in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mamata responded with “Joy Bangla” and advised them to chant the traditional “Jai Sia (Sita) Ram” instead.

“They want awshanti, while Trinamul firmly works towards shanti and development,” said the Trinamul Congress chief.

“To save this country, the BJP must be forced to leave,” she said, adding that the saffron camp had allegedly been trying to destroy the federal structure of the nation, the Constitution and institutions that are pillars of Indian democracy.

On Wednesday, the chief minister thanked the people for the faith they reposed yet again in her party in the civic polls. “They (the BJP MLAs) fall back on hooliganism in the Assembly after being trounced in every Bengal election… this is complete shamelessness,” she said.

Mamata went on to intensify her attack.

“When the anti-NRC movement was going on, they shot people. When (in the peak of the second wave) countless human beings died of Covid-19, they threw bodies into the Ganga…. That is the true nature of the BJP,” she said.

Bringing up the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, she said: “We don’t murder farmers by running them over with our cars. Instead, we stand by farmers… we work for their development, with projects and schemes aimed at their benefit.”

“We are manobik (humane), they are danobik (monstrous).”

Accusing the BJP-led Centre of step-motherly treatment towards Bengal, she said over Rs 90,000 crore was due to the state from the Union government.

“Through a number of cyclones and other natural calamities, despite immense losses to the state… despite all facts and figures being formally furnished to demand rightful compensation, the Centre has not given us anything,” said the chief minister.

In an apparent jibe at Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari — who was once close to her in Trinamul — for orchestrating the demonstration, Mamata brought up the anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram, where he was one of her key aides.

“There were secret understandings… I had entered Nandigram on a bike (in 2007). An attempt was made to murder me by shooting at me from the back…. Go to the people (she said to the BJP), instead of all this (commotion in the House). If the people forgive you, we too will,” she said.

“Fighting us is not that easy, because we were nurtured by movements. Making me bend will not be a simple task…. If one tries to fight Trinamul, every inch has to be hard-fought,” added Mamata.