After Amit Shah began his three-day visit to West Bengal with a strong attack on Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, the West Bengal Chief Minister has hit back at the Union Home Minister of India by calling him an “outsider”.
“They are saying that they will throw us away. Please maintain some decorum or else Bengal will not tolerate outsiders,” Banerjee was seen saying during an administrative meeting at Nabanna, the state secretariat.
Hinting at their disobedience towards the Epidemic Act, which is in place throughout the country to tackle the ongoing pandemic, Banerjee alleged that “irresponsible” events by BJP were increasing the risk of COVID-19 contamination.
Also, amid an eventful day in West Bengal, the Income Tax and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) agencies raided several parts of the state.
While the CBI raided four places in Kolkata in a case relating to cow smuggling, the IT officers ran a search operation in Asansol, Raniganj, Andal and Jamuria as a part of their investigation of a coal scam.
Banerjee, the TMC supremo, accused the BJP-led Central Government of trying to break the federal structure of India. She claimed that the anti-BJP State Governments were being constantly unsettled with several central agencies.
“State administrators are being disturbed through agencies. No one can bypass an elected state government like this. They are threatening officers with IT raids and vigilance. I urge all of you to not fear anything,” Banerjee said.
At his first stop in Bankura during his three-day visit to West Bengal, Shah on Thursday said that the BJP will form government in the state after winning two-third seats in next year’s Assembly Elections.
He further added that Banerjee was scared to see the rise of BJP in West Bengal and was, thus, deliberately restricting the Central Government’s welfare scheme in the state.
“The death knell for Mamata Banerjee’s government has been sounded. With two-third majority in the next Assembly Elections, BJP will form the government in West Bengal in 2021,” Shah was quoted as saying by Bengali portal The Wall.
“Mamata Banerjee is scared. She is scared that’s why she is restricting the implementation of Central Government’s welfare schemes in Bengal. Farmers in Bengal is not getting the 6000 rupees that the centre is paying.
“The poor families are not receiving the medical insurance of Rs 5 lakh. People from marginalised communities are being denied grants for building proper homes and toilets for themselves. The State Government has restricted funds of at least 80 Central Government schemes,” Shah added.