Centre a govt of the agency, by the agency & for the agency: Mamata

MP | 26 Nov 2022 | Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said contrary to the principle of democracy that the government is of the people, for the people and by the people, the BJP-led Centre has become a government run of the agency, by the agency and for the agency. She was speaking at the Assembly to celebrate the Constitution Day. 

Though the Constitution Day falls on Saturday, the Speaker has agreed to observe it on Friday as the Assembly is closed on Saturday. However, the MLAs will come to the Assembly on Saturday to garland the portrait of the Father of the Indian Constitution BR Ambedkar. 

Banerjee garlanded the portrait of Ambedkar put up at the lobby of Assembly House. Banerjee said: "The Centre has now become a government of the agency, for the agency and by the agency and not the age-old democratic principle that highlights a government for the people, of the people and by the people." 

She added: "The political parties have the Constitutional right to fight elections and the winning party forms the state government or the Central government but unable to face the parties politically, the agencies are being sent to scare leaders of the opposition. This is most unfortunate. 

"The Constitution has given us the guideline, philosophy and ideology to run the states and the country." Banerjee further added that in Bengal, the Opposition is given due respect. "Out of the 41 standing committees, nine of them have BJP MLAs as the chairman. This does not happen in Delhi. There is not a single MP from Trinamool Congress who is the chairman of any standing committee in the Lok Sabha. This is uncalled for." 

She urged the opposition MLAs to cooperate with the state government to put pressure on the Centre so that funds are made available for various projects. She said an all-party delegation will go to Delhi and speak to the ministers and Prime Minister to press for the demand. Banerjee paid respect to the revolutionaries who had sacrificed their lives for the freedom struggle. 

"In Andaman's Cellular Jail, more than 75 revolutionaries who were hanged by the British government were from Bengal. The names of those revolutionaries will be put up at the Alipore Jail Museum. She urged the MLAs to visit the museum. 

She paid rich tribute to Nandalal Bose who had made the illustration of the Indian Constitution. She also paid rich tributes to stalwarts like Dr B C Roy, Kiron Shankar Roy, Lakshmi Kanta Moitra, Prafulla Ghosh, Fazlul Haque, Shyamaprasad Mookerjee among others. 

Meanwhile, in a first since last year's state elections, the Chief Minister on Friday held a "courtesy meeting" with Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari at her chamber in the state Assembly. Later, during a discussion on Constitution Day in the House, the CM said that she had at one point adored him like a brother. 

Adhikari and Banerjee had been at loggerheads since the end of 2020 when he switched over to the BJP from the TMC. 

The Nandigram MLA was seen entering Banerjee's chamber accompanied by BJP leaders Manoj Tigga and Agnimitra Paul, shortly after the Assembly session broke for recess in the afternoon. "I called Suvendu for tea," 

Banerjee said after the meeting. Adhikari, talking to reporters, said: "It was just a courtesy call. Nothing else should be read into it. I did not have tea." 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/centre-a-govt-of-the-agency-by-the-agency-for-the-agency-mamata-500266