West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Union government on Tuesday, while addressing the ongoing budget session in the assembly. Her sharp remarks covered a range of issues, including the Mahakumbh stampede and the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants, among others.
“Mahakumbh is now mrityu (death) Kumbh,” CM Banerjee said. “They hyped it so much but did not do any planning [for crowd management]. They are saying 30 people have died but we don’t know how many bodies have been floated in the Ganga,” she added, highlighting the West Bengal government’s successful organisation of Ganga Sagar Mela.
The chief minister raised concerns about the special arrangements made for VIPs. She claimed that people from West Bengal who passed away at the Mahakumbh did not receive their death certificates and that the state had to handle all the necessary formalities.
She was also seen speaking about the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from the US. “They were tied in chains. Honourable Prime Minister you were there [at the US], why didn’t you protest?,” she said, adding that the Indian government should have sent flights to bring back its citizens.
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CM Banerjee claimed that she was forced to speak about national issues by West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari who allegedly compared her with terrorists of Jammu & Kashmir and Bangladesh. She added that her party, otherwise, accepts the Centre’s decision when it comes to internal security purposes and geopolitics.
On Monday, four BJP MLAs were suspended from the remainder of the current assembly session for “unruly behaviour”. The BJP legislators had allegedly created a ruckus while demanding discussion about a controversy related to the celebration of Saraswati Puja at a Kolkata college.
At the beginning of her speech, the chief minister countered the BJP's claims that her government prohibited Saraswati Puja celebrations in West Bengal. “Every household, every school, every college, and every locality in West Bengal celebrated Saraswati Puja,” she said, accusing the BJP of spreading false propaganda.
CM Banerjee then presented pictures to demonstrate that the college in question, where the BJP alleged the puja did not occur, indeed celebrated the festival. She claimed that she would take up the matter with PM Modi as well.
Meanwhile, the BJP MLAs protested outside the assembly while the chief minister spoke inside the house. LoP Adhikari demanded an apology from her for calling the Mahakumbh “mrityu Kumbh”. “This is an attack on the Hindus. 40 crore people have taken the holy dip at the Mahakumbh and she has offended everyone today,” he said.