Slamming the BJP-led central government for the skyrocketing fuel prices, chief minister Mamata Banerjee today urged it to call an all-party meet to tide over the “current economic crisis”. “Sri Lanka’s economic condition is poor, so is India’s. I’m not comparing India with Sri Lanka because both are different countries.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is only seeing its own political benefits. There is no planning here. Instead of using agencies like the CBI and ED against opposition parties, the Centre must convene an all-party meeting to resolve the ongoing economic problems,” said Miss Banerjee, after a programme to distribute appointment letters for government jobs (at group D level) to 10 people affected in the recent violence at Rampurhat in Birbhum.

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Miss Banerjee alleged that the Centre allowed fuel prices to rise 11 times in 13 days in order to divert attention from the atrocities carried out by the BJP in other states. “The Centre has no plans to deal with the fuel-price hike. The BJP is responsible for this crisis; it’s their return gift to the country after winning the Uttar Pradesh elections,” she said.

Banerjee also said that several fake developments are made viral in the country to instigate people. “Often people are reacting to that without checking the authenticity,” she said. Responding to the opposition parties’ allegations of illegal coal mining and cattle smuggling against her party leaders, Miss Banerjee blamed the BJP for it.

“The source for coal and cattle smuggling lies elsewhere. The CISF is in charge of guarding coal mines and BSF looks after the cattle smuggling issue. What can our state do? None of these are in our hands. The source of these smugglings is somewhere else. But the BJP is not doing anything to stop these,” she alleged.

“Coal and cattle are being smuggled from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Assam to Bangladesh. But their sources are elsewhere. Why is the Centre not doing anything to stop those smuggling sources?” she questioned. Miss Banerjee’s comments came at a time when the ED grilled Trinamul Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee in connection with an ongoing probe into alleged cattle-smuggling and coal scams.

In fact, the CBI has summoned many Trinamul Congress leaders in connection with investigations into cattle smuggling and illegal coal mining. The chief minister took a swipe at her opposition parties by calling BJP a fool, CPM a fraud and Congress an insect. She alleged that the purpose of all the opposition parties is to cause damage to the state.

“You are always conspiring to smear ink on my sari but remember, I know how to use the solution to rub that. You kill a person and then plan to go to Nabanna carrying the dead body. Stop this,” she added. Miss Banerjee also criticised the Centre for failing to respond to her letter seeking Medical Council of India’s permission to allow students, who returned from war-hit Ukraine in medical colleges of West Bengal.

“We had appealed to the Centre to give permission to these students for internship and admission in first to fourth year medical colleges of the state. The Centre is asking them to go to Hungary and Poland. But will they be safe there? We did whatever was in our hands. We don’t need money but only permission. We had come up with an arrangement wherein no fees would be taken from these students. But the Centre is not giving us permission. If I was in their place then I would have taken the decision in only one minute. They can only shout about violence,” she said.