Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 2: Using the “Martyrs’ Day Rally” in Kolkata to show the ruling Trinamool Congress party’s massive strength, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday (July 21) attacked the BJP-led central government and claimed that it was not a stable government and could collapse at any time.
She was instantly supported by her INDIA bloc partner Akhilesh Yadav, the chief of the Samajwadi Party, who attended the TMC rally at Ms Banerjee’s invitation, stating that the Narendra Modi government was certain to fall much sooner than most people apprehend.
The TMC observe July 21 as “Martyrs Day” every year to pay tributes to 14 party workers who were killed in police firing during a protest rally some two decades ago when the CPM was in power in the state.
“I want to thank Akhilesh ji, you have accepted my invitation. I want the relationship of Bengal to be better with the entire country. I want to say the ‘Khel’ that you showed in UP, they (BJP) should have resigned from their post but they are shameless. They have tried every agency and every means possible but they have still lost…In North Bengal, our results have not been good but I hope in the coming days we will be winning there,” Ms Banerjee said at the rally.
Addressing the huge gathering, Akhilesh said the people of Uttar Pradesh have fought with the BJP and left them behind. “The people of Bengal have fought with the BJP and left them behind, the same happened in Uttar Pradesh…The people sitting in the government in Delhi are in power only for a few days. ‘Woh sarkaar chalne wali nahi hai, woh sarkaar girne wali hai’…” he said.
“This government at the Centre won’t last long and will fall soon. Such communal forces want to be in power at any cost, but those designs won’t succeed,” he said without naming the BJP or NDA.
The Samajwadi Party leader asserted that the “communal forces at the Centre” were “hatching conspiracies and trying to destabilise the country.”
“The forces who want to divide the nation on communal lines might taste temporary success, but they will be defeated in the end. Such communal forces want to be in power at any cost,” he added.
Ms Banerjee devoted a substantial part of her address to the worsening violent situation in Bangladesh, particularly in view of the people in the neighbouring country come knocking at the doors of West Bengal for succour and shelter whenever they face major problem of any nature.
Ms Banerjee said West Bengal would offer shelter to anyone in distress who knocks on their door. Her remarks come amid violent protests in Bangladesh that have already resulted in the death of 151 people. What began as a protest against politicised admission quotas for sought-after government jobs snowballed this week into some of the worst unrest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.
Ms Banerjee said that though she did not have the power to speak on the affairs of Bangladesh, and even India’s official stand would be taken by the Centre, she would help those in distress who seek help from Bengal. She referred to the United Nations Resolution on refugees as justification for her stand over the possible humanitarian crisis.
“I should not be speaking on the affairs of Bangladesh since it’s another country. Whatever needs to be said on the issue is a subject matter of the Centre. But I only can say, if helpless people knock on Bengal’s doors, we will shelter them,” the Trinamool Congress chief said. “That’s because there is a United Nations Resolution to accommodate refugees in regions adjacent to those under turmoil,” Ms Banerjee added while drawing an example from Assamese people who were allowed to live in the Alipurduar area of North Bengal for a considerable period during the Bodo strife in the north-eastern state.
Mamata Banerjee also expressed her solidarity with the people who have remained at the receiving end of the ongoing violence in the neighbouring country. “We are sad to see blood getting spilt and my heart goes out to those students who were killed,” she said.
She further assured all cooperation to Bengal residents whose relatives may have remained stuck on account of the escalating violence on the eastern side of the international border. She also extended assistance to Bangladeshis who came to Bengal but were facing difficulty in returning home. Banerjee further requested the people of West Bengal to not get provoked over matters concerning the current situation in Bangladesh. “We should exercise restraint and not walk into any provocation or excitement on the issue,” she said.
President of the BJP’s Bengal unit and junior union minister Sukanta Majumdar, however, opined that such matters, involving the country’s foreign policies, should first be consulted with the Centre before any public statement is made.
“It’s true that we are all concerned about the current situation in Bangladesh over which Delhi is keeping a close watch. Our chief minister should not be voicing her opinions on matters involving our country’s foreign policies without first consulting the Centre,” he said.
With the death count climbing and police unable to contain the violent protests, the Bangladesh government on Friday imposed a national curfew and deployed the military. Soldiers are patrolling cities across Bangladesh after riot police failed to restore order, while a nationwide internet blackout has drastically restricted the flow of information to the outside world.