Kolkata: A day after the violent mob attack on an National Investigation Agency (NIA) team in West Bengal for arresting two Trinamul Congress workers in a crude bomb blast case of 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the TMC of seeking a “free licence to unleash terror” on the central agencies in the state.
Mr Modi, who addressed a Lok Sabha Election campaign rally in Jalpaiguri of North Bengal on Sunday, also branded the TMC as a “party that crushes law and constitution” for violence before he reiterated his pledge to return Rs 3,000 crores of assets and properties, attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in various cases of corruption, to the people.
Referring to Saturday's attack on the NIA team at Bhupatinagar in East Midnapore, the PM alleged, “TMC wants a free licence for its extortionist and corrupt leaders to unleash terror. When the central agencies come for probe, TMC attacks them and carries out it also through others. TMC is a party that crushes the law and constitution.”
He claimed, “Entire country knows what happened in Sandeshkhali. The situation is now such that the court has to step into every case. Here, TMC syndicate-raj exists at each and every place. People are forced to tolerate atrocities.”
Mr Modi then elaborated his pledge to return money and added, “I'm giving a guarantee from the soil of Bengal. The ED has attached Rs 3,000 crores of assets and properties belonging to those people who made it through corruption. I'm taking advice about returning the amount, which were lost in the teachers' recruitment scam, ration scam among others, to the poor.”
Mr Modi also repeated his salvo on the TMC for not allowing the central funds under various public welfare schemes to reach the poor people in the state. “It wants the central funds to come to its own account first.” Chief minister Mamata Banerjee also hit back at the PM.
On the central agencies’ actions, she said at a TMC rally in Purulia, “NIA and CBI are BJP’s Bhai-Bhai. ED and Income Tax are BJP’s funding box. We have Lakshmir Bhandar but they have ED Bhandar and CBI Bhandar. They are intimidating every political opponent saying they will not be spared unless they join the BJP. We have never seen such a situation and it is prevalent across the country now.”
Countering Mr Modi's charges of blockade of central welfare schemes in the state, Ms Banerjee pointed out, “The PM has been going around complaining that we don’t allow Ayushman Bharat in Bengal. Why should I implement Ayushman Bharat when our Swasthya Sathi is more inclusive and over nine crore people in Bengal can avail of the same as against one crore under Ayushman Bharat? While we offer Swasthya Sathi to everyone, their Ayushman Bharat decides eligibility based on motorcycles, government jobs and a roof over people’s heads. Besides, 50% of the cost under Ayushman Bharat is borne by the state government.”
She argued, “Our Guarantee is the well-being of Bengal and welfare schemes whereas Modi Babu’s Guarantee is just his photo,which is plastered across packets of food grains as well. Has this happened in any other country? No! We don’t distribute free ration with our photo or Joraphool (Twin Flowers) symbol.”
