West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused the BJP-led central government of conspiring to arrest all opposition leaders before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Her remark came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning in connection with its case on the now scrapped liquor policy. He will appear before the probe agency on November 2.
Mamata Banerjee said the BJP is “trying to gag the voice of all opposition parties” and conspiring to arrest opposition leaders for an easy win in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“They are planning to arrest all opposition leaders before the polls so that they can vote for themselves in an empty country. They are hatching a conspiracy,” said Mamata Banerjee while addressing a press conference.
She also briefly mentioned the security alert received by opposition leaders from Apple, warning that “state-sponsored attackers” may be targeting their iPhones. “Five-six MPs have said their phones have been hacked…Let them continue to do it,” she added.
Mamata Banerjee also questioned what other countries would say or think when they “look at our country”. She added that “a lot of things are happening” and said, “Even after that, I think silence is golden. Let me continue to do that. We will watch.”
Mamata Banerjee also expressed her appreciation for the statement made by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to the Delhi High Court on the use of the INDIA acronym for the Opposition alliance. It had informed the court that it lacks the authority to regulate political alliances.
“At least they made a decision. We cannot forget India. India is our mother land. Bharat is also our mother land,” said Banerjee.
ON ARREST OF TMC MINISTER
Answering a question on the arrest of TMC minister Jyotripriya Mallick, Mamata Banerjee put the blame on the erstwhile Left Front government in the state. Mallick was arrested by the ED in a money laundering case linked an alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam.
He was the minister for food and supplies in the West Bengal government before he assumed his current post as the forest affairs minister.
Mamata Banerjee said the Left Front government had issued “at least 1 crore fake ration cards” and the “scam” surfaced when she assumed power as the West Bengal CM.
She lauded Jyotipriya Mallick for doing a commendable job of digitising ration cards.
Mamata Banerjee also reacted to the ongoing cash-for-query row involving party MP Mahua Moitra and said, “All of it is a political vendetta”.
ON MGNREGA PROTEST
The West Bengal Chief Minister also spoke about her government’s protest demanding the Centre to release MGNREGA funds which are due to the state and extended the November 1 deadline set by her party till November 16.
She said Governor CV Ananda Bose had promised that he would take up the matter with the Centre but no action has been taken so far.
“Today was the last day, but nothing has happened so far. If the MNEGRA dues are not cleared by November 16, we will declare our next course of action,” said Banerjee.
The TMC chief said that on November 16, her party would organise a meeting at Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium and issue a bigger call for protest. All panchayat and municipality members will be invited to the meeting, she added.
