A day after a rally in Kolkata by Home Minister Amit Shah, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed the Delhi violence as being a 'genocide'. At a planning meeting of the Trinamool Congress on Monday, Banerjee said the violence in Delhi was far from being communal clashes.
"It's not at all communal violence, but a genocide. It's a planned genocide. We need to pay respect to the departed souls," Banerjee said.
"I am saying it as genocide because it's state sponsored," said Banerjee.
Banerjee said the 'Gujarat' model was being applied all over India by the BJP.
For the first time, Banerjee seemingly took words from the BJP and said 'Om Shanti' to pray for departed souls.
Banerjee asked her party men not to learn violence from the BJP. She also asked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to take note of the plight of Biharis in Delhi even she kept mum on Arvind Kejriwal. However, Banerjee asked her party men to fight back and not to sit idle.
"We will start fight and it will not stop till they (BJP) are out of power," said Banerjee.
Banerjee said the violence in Delhi was the biggest genocide after the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. Around 50 people died in the recent Delhi violence and according to her, around 300 people died across India after the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Banerjee held Amit Shah responsible for the 'bloodbath'.
Alluding to Shah's remark that the next chief minister of West Bengal will be a “son of the soil,” Banerjee took a jibe at the home minister without directly naming him.
"Guju bhai, are we not from the soil? Will you drive us out in the name of NRC?" Banerjee asked.
Terming the sloganeering of 'Goli Maro' in Kolkata at Amit Shah's rally as communal intention, Banerjee said stringent action would be taken.
"It's Kolkata, not Delhi. I have asked police to arrest three people," she said.
Surendra Tiwari, Dhruva Bose and Pankaj Prasad have been arrested and they have been charged under sections 153(A), 506 and 34 of IPC.
These sections are related to communal incitement, creating disturbance and common intention.
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said, "Very surprising that those who are firing are not [being] arrested but just for shouting slogans against criminals, innocents are being put in jail."
Meanwhile, poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Monday began a campaign in West Bengal named Banglar Gorobo Mamata (BGM), which means Mamata Banerjee is the pride of Bengal. It will be a 75-day-long programme, in which leaders of the TMC would reach villages.
Banerjee also slammed the Congress and the Left for helping the BJP.
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"I have information that both Congress and Left will help BJP in 2021. I am ready for the fight," said Banerjee.
In a surprise move, Banerjee also questioned Narendra Modi's foreign policy without directly naming the prime minister. Referring to US President Donald Trump mispronouncing the name of Swami Vivekananda during his recent visit to India, Banerjee said, “I don't blame Trump. Our government failed to teach him the name of Swami Vivekananda.”
