Bengal not afraid of BJP intimidation: Mamata Banerjee
She further added that the Centre was planning to shift the Tea Board headquarters from Kolkata to Assam.
Kolkata: Launching a counter- attack against BJP president Amit Shah’s slogan “Ebar Bangla” and his claims of the BJP coming to power in Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee asserted that the Trinamul Congress’ next target is Delhi. “They are in fear and for this they are unleashing agencies like the CBI, ED against us. The TMC will not bow down to your intimidation. We hold our heads high. Those who challenge me, I accept the challenge. If you target Bengal, then Bengal will target India,” Ms Banerjee said at a public meeting at Birpara in Alipurduar on Thursday.
Alluding to Mr Shah’s lunch at the house of a Hindu tribal at Naxalbari in North Bengal on Tuesday, Ms Banerjee said, “They have lunch at a dalit’s house in the morning and eat dinner at five-star hotels at night. Such is their double standards. I go to the slums everyday. It is not right to call the poor, poor. I respect all the poor and struggling people.”
Taking a dig at Mr Shah’s allegations that Bengal has not progressed during her government’s rule, she said, “How can you talk so much about Bengal. Give me the figure of how much children had died of malnutrition in Gujarat. You cannot handle Gujarat after so much Central aid and you are talking about Bengal.”
She alleged that Gujarat does not have the burden of debt like Bengal but still money is taken away from here and splashed in Gujarat and in all other BJP-ruled states.
Referring to the closed tea gardens in north Bengal, the chief minister accused the BJP of not abiding by the promises made before the Lok Sabha elections.
“You had promised to open seven tea gardens in the region. But you have done nothing. Our government has formed welfare board for the tea gardens. We are not a party that makes false promises like you before the elections,” she said.
She further added that the Centre was planning to shift the Tea Board headquarters from Kolkata to Assam. “Why are they trying to deprive Bengal? They can set up another office of the Tea Board,” she added.