Kolkata. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of threatening opposition parties by abandoning her old slogan of ‘Badla Nahi, Keval Badlaav’. Speaking at a rally organised to mark the foundation day of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), Banerjee said the slogan needed to be updated to suit changing times and circumstances.
He said, “When you are insulted, it is time to resist and protest. When you are attacked, you should not sit quietly. How you respond depends on you.” Countering this, BJP’s West Bengal unit president and Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar condemned Banerjee’s remarks as threatening and wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying that Banerjee “no longer deserves to hold such an important post.”
Majumdar told reporters, “A chief minister is constitutionally bound to rise above partisan attitude and it is unimaginable for her (Banerjee) to make such intimidating statements that pose a threat to democracy.” He said Banerjee’s remarks could incite Trinamool Congress supporters to take the law into their own hands and attack opposition members and suppress democratic dissent.
He also criticised Banerjee’s statement in which she said that if Bengal catches fire, neighbouring states like Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam and even far-off Delhi will be affected. Majumdar termed it as contrary to the federal spirit of the republic. He said, “It is not right for an elected chief minister to make such comments. How can she say such things?” He also criticised her comments about the agitation of doctors of RG Kar Hospital. He said, “The court has already upheld the democratic rights of junior doctors. The chief minister cannot force them to remain silent until justice is served.”
BJP workers clashed with police at several places while trying to enforce ‘Bengal Bandh’
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers clashed with police at several places in West Bengal on Wednesday in an attempt to call a 12-hour bandh and the bandh had a mixed impact in the state. Several BJP leaders, including former Rajya Sabha members Roopa Ganguly and Locket Chatterjee and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya and MLA Agnimitra Paul, have been detained for blocking roads and railway tracks since morning.
The BJP had called for a ‘Bengal Bandh’ on Wednesday to protest against the police action against those participating in the ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’ on Tuesday, which began at 6 am today. A march was taken out to the State Secretariat (Nabanna) demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital. This march was organized by a newly formed student group ‘Chhatra Samaj’.
Due to this bandh, normal life in the state was partially affected and many people remained in their homes fearing disturbance on the streets.
There was less movement on the roads in the capital Kolkata. Very few buses, auto rickshaws and taxis were seen on the roads. The number of private vehicles was also less. However, markets and shops are open as before. Schools and colleges were open but the number of students was very less. Many English medium schools in Kolkata suspended classes.