Arrest me if you can…’: Mamata’s challenge to BJP as corruption claims fly

Amid corruption charges against the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led government in West Bengal, chief minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday challenged the BJP to arrest her if they can. Her statements come in the backdrop of senior TMC leaders Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mondal getting arrested in school jobs scam and alleged cattle smuggling case, respectively.

Banerjee, who was attending a rally of her party’s student wing in Kolkata, said a malicious campaign has been unleashed against her, and other TMC veterans such as Kolkata Mayor and state minister Firhad Hakim, and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

“The BJP is branding everybody as thieves. They are campaigning in a way as if all of us in the TMC are thieves and only the BJP and its leaders are holy. Had I not been in politics, I would have torn out their tongues,” she was quoted as saying by PTI.

The Bengal chief minister further stated that the BJP is using central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) along with its “ill-gotten money” to oust elected non-saffron party governments across India.

She said Hakim might be arrested next as he was recently summoned by the central agencies. “If he is arrested, you can rest assured it will be a fake case, just to harass him,” Banerjee added.

She demanded the saffron unit to answer where it is getting “thousands of crores to dislodge elected state governments in line with the Maharashtra model”.

The Bengal chief

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said the central agencies and “ill-gotten money of the BJP” are being used to dislodge elected state governments run by parties that are opposed to the saffron camp.

She vowed to defeat the BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing a rally of her party’s student wing, Banerjee said a malicious campaign has been unleashed against senior TMC leaders, including her, Firhad Hakim and Abhishek Banerjee.

“The BJP is branding everybody as thieves. They are campaigning in a way as if all of us in the TMC are thieves and only the BJP and its leaders are holy. Had I not been in politics, I would have torn out their tongues,” she said.

Apprehending that Hakim might be arrested as he was recently summoned by the central agencies, the TMC supremo said, “If he is arrested, you can rest assured it will be a fake case, just to harass him,”

“They (BJP) are talking about the money with TMC leaders. From where is the BJP getting thousand of crores to dislodge elected state governments in line of the Maharashtra model. The BJP is parking money abroad through hawala. The BJP has to be defeated in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” she said.

Referring to the recent incident of the alleged rape of a woman at the India-Bangladesh border by BSF jawans, she wondered whether such an incident happened due to the Centre’s decision to broaden the paramilitary force’s jurisdiction from 15km to 50km in bordering areas.

“The BJP talks about ‘Beti Bachao’ and ‘Beti Padhao’ and its government released those involved in Bilkis Bano case. Is this justice? We will organise 48-hour long dharna here in Kolkata to press for action against the accused,” she added.

With Thanks Reference to: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/amid-corruption-charges-against-tmc-mamata-challenges-bjp-to-arrest-her-101661769901315.html