BJP's West Bengal bandh: If there is any dictator after Hitler in today's time, it's Mamata Banerjee, says Kailash Vijayvargiya
Times of India | 28 August 2024
Kailash Vijayvargiya NEW DELHI: Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister, Kailash Vijayvargiya, criticized West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, amid ongoing unrest and protests in Kolkata on August 28.
He accused her of dictatorial governance and condemned the state's law enforcement, highlighting allegations of a nexus between police, anti-social elements, and politicians, particularly in the wake of a recent incident involving the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor.
"There is a nexus between the police, anti-social elements, and politicians. You must have seen that the rapist went on a motorcycle in a police car and he himself is a member of the social police there. Now tell me, if the person working in the police is a rapist, then how will the women be safe? It is a matter of great shame that in that state where there is a woman chief minister, women are not safe," Vijayvargiya said.
He continued his condemnation by comparing Mamata Banerjee to historical dictators.
"Chief minister, there is with the criminals, then does such a chief minister have any right to remain in the chair? If there is any dictator after Hitler in today's time, then it is Mamata ji, I think so. Because there is no democracy there, (West Bengal) only whatever Mamata Banerjee says is correct. 'na khata, na bahi, jo Mamata ji kahe vahi sahi'. (Only Mamata Banerjee is correct)," he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced a '12-hour Bengal Bandh' on August 28. The call for the bandh came in response to what the party describes as a police crackdown on a peaceful protest during their 'Nabanna Abhijan' - a march to the state secretariat.
The 'Nabanna Abhiyan' rally began from College Square in the capital of West Bengal, with heightened security around the state secretariat. Protestors gathered at the Santragachi area in Howrah, where clashes with police ensued.
Police used water cannons on demonstrators as they climbed police barricades. Protestors broke barricades and dragged them away, leading police to employ lathi-charge and tear gas to manage the situation.
These protests were fueled by a nationwide outrage following the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata's R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. The doctor's body was found in the seminar hall on August 9, prompting continuous protests for justice.