Mamata alleges raid drama by central agencies

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that central probe agencies were scripting dramas to conduct raids at houses of TMC leaders as the BJP is scared of her party.

Her statement came four days after a mob assaulted Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers during a raid at TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh’s residence at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district last week in connection with the ration distribution scam.

The TMC had charged the ED officials with inciting locals leading to the situation.

”Actually, they (BJP) are scared of the TMC. That is the reason in the name of conducting raids, they (central agencies) are scripting dramas and arresting TMC leaders. They are thinking that by arresting TMC leaders, they will be able to vacate the area and the BJP will have an open ground to play,” Banerjee said at a programme at Joynagar in South 24 Parganas district.

But winning elections will not be that easy, she said adding: ”We will not give an inch of land without fights.” Without taking any name, the TMC chief cautioned people that keeping gold at home has become risky as ”mice and bats are moving around” to take them away.

”They will loot your money which you have earned and saved,” she said.

Banerjee said Saradha Group director Sudipto Sen, the main accused in the chit fund scam, was arrested in Kashmir and her government distributed Rs 200 crore to the poor who had invested there.

She said, ”You have arrested several people in the name of chit funds. You can do that. We also do not support chit funds (scams). But have you given money to the common people?” Alleging that the CPI(M) started chit fund scams, the TMC boss said not a single leader of the Left party was arrested. ”Now, you keep on blaming the TMC for everything – for cattle (scam), coal (scam) and others… Even if there is a blot on a piece of cloth, you blame the TMC,” she said.

Referring to the Bogtui village massacre of 2022, in which 10 people were killed in Birbhum district, Banerjee said that her government has provided jobs and compensation to the family members of those who lost their lives.

Banerjee also hit out at the Centre for not releasing the funds due to West Bengal for MGNREGA and other schemes and instead directing the state government to ”paint everything in saffron”.

”Saffron is the colour of the sadhus. We respect them. But tell me why will we use the BJP colour? Even if they are giving us a Re 1 project, they are asking us to use the BJP’s logo to that. I am ready to use the logo of the Government of India or the West Bengal government but not that of a BJP,” she said.

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