Unfazed by the political storm raging in the country over the alleged involvement of top TMC leaders in corruption, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday warned that those who dared
Unfazed by the political storm raging in the country over the alleged involvement of top TMC leaders in corruption, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday warned that those who dared to cross her path would be destroyed. “I cannot remain silent at the slander campaign. Speaking out is my nature. I want to warn those who want to fight us — Jo hum se takrayega, woh choor choor ho jayega,” she added. Ms Banerjee was addressing an election rally at Kalchini in Alipurduar district on the third day of her five-day visit to North Bengal. She did not mention Narada sting operation in which a dozen TMC leaders and an IPS officers were caught on camera receiving large sums of cash as bribe.
Meanwhile, issuing a statement over the controversy, Ms Banerjee described it as “manufactured conspiracy.” She alleged use of foreign money in the operation which she said was conducted to defame her and her party before the Assembly election. She also questioned the credibility of the news portal narada.com and its CEO Mathew Samuel. “This person had conducted a similar affair earlier, but couldn’t prove the allegations. There was a lot of illegality involved,” she said. Her statement was posted on Trinamul Congress’ official website. Interestingly, she claimed that the main target of those behind the conspiracy was not the 2016 Assembly but the 2019 LS election. “They are afraid that Mamata Banerjee might have a say in the power centres in Delhi too,” she claimed.
“Whenever it is election season in Bengal, the Opposition engages in falsehoods, conspiracies, slander and misinformation; canards are spread against us. In other states political battles are fought only at the time of polls; there is no politics over developmental works. However, in Bengal, a section of the media and the Opposition only believes in smear campaign. A section of the media has already started its smear campaign but, according to me, this is a manufactured conspiracy; it is concocted and there is involvement of foreign money in this case,” her statement says.
