Without referring to the January 4 attack on ED officials at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas during a raid at a local TMC leader’s house, the chief minister said: “The law and order situation of our state is good. Some people are always trying to tarnish the image of our state… I must say to them ‘curse me but do not tarnish the image of our state’… I am not bothered about criticisms against me. But I will protest if anyone tries to malign the state. Those questioning the law-and-order situation are trying to malign the state.”
“So many rumours are spread throughout the day. If there is one isolated incident in the morning, it is dissected and discussed all day long, while positive news receives little attention. If Bengal is portrayed negatively, I will not accept it without a fight,” the CM said during a ‘students’ week’ programme here.
Asserting that Kolkata has been adjudged the country’s safest city for years as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Banerjee wondered how the law-and-order situation could be depicted bad given that the Srirampur police station in Hooghly district was recognized as a model police station in the country by the central government itself for its track record in addressing public grievances and cases.
Critiquing some TV talk shows, she said, “They (these TV channels) are interested in spreading negative information. I once asked one of them why they continuously show one incident for 24 hours, and the reply was ‘Didi, this is for TRP.’ We have to keep the fire burning all day long.”
CM: We utilise people even after they retire
Amid the debate within the ruling TMC over the generational divide, Mamata Banerjee said her government utilises people with capabilities even after their retirement and pointed to the two former chief secretaries accompanying her. “Those who are expert in their work, we reemploy them even after their retirement. Here we have two former chief secretaries working with us till now,” she said referring to the retention of former chief secretaries Alapan Bandyopadhyay and HK Dwivedi.