Addressing a public meeting in Bankura district, Mamata said, “The Prime Minister was in Jalpaiguri yesterday. I respect his chair but does it suit a PM to use such language saying that ‘4 June ke baad, sabko chun chun ke jail me bharunga (After June 4, everyone will be jailed one by one)’. In reality, you have turned the country and democracy into a jail.”
“In one pocket you have the ED and CBI while in the other you have the NIA and Income Tax. They (central agencies) are your brothers who arrange your funding, and later you threaten us. It does not behove a Prime Minister to issue such threats. But we are not scared,” the TMC chief added.
On Sunday, while addressing an election rally, PM Modi said that proceedings by central agencies against corrupt (TMC) leaders will be speeded up after June 4, in a reference to the counting day of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
In a direct attack against PM Modi, Mamata slammed the Centre’s move to arrest chief ministers Hemanta Soren and Arvind Kejriwal. “Who are you threatening? If five of our workers or polling agents are arrested, then their wives will take their place. We are not scared of the agencies. Why did you arrest a tribal leader and Chief Minister Hemant Soren? I spoke with his wife yesterday,” she asked.
“Why did you arrest Arvind Kejriwal? Still, he is working from jail. But that won’t make any difference as he will win the election next time with a better margin,” Mamata said.
Shifting her focus to the NIA raids in Bhupatinagar on Saturday, the Bengal chief minister said, “You send agencies at midnight to harass women of the area and later claim that those women attacked the (NIA) personnel. Law and order is a state subject. You don’t inform the local police and attack women at 3 am and later inform the local police at 5 am. These things can’t work.”
“Try these antics and roaring speeches to boost the morale of your party cadres as it might act as oxygen there. But for democracy and the country, these things act like carbon dioxide,” Mamata lashed out.
She also took a dig at PM Modi for not announcing relief for the people affected in Jalpaiguri following a storm. “The Prime Minister held a meeting in Jalpaiguri yesterday. I have no issues with that, he can hold a meeting anywhere he wants. But he didn’t utter a single word for providing any relief to the people of Jalpaiguri who lost their family members or whose houses were damaged in the massive storm,” she said.