‘Performance of my government is the best in the world’
Even as she claimed that no government in the world had ushered in so much development as her administration since it came to power last year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday continued her tirade against a section of the media and said the police would register cases against “those who are spreading lies.”
It was spreading canards against her government, she alleged and cautioned it against being a “nuisance” or transgressing its limits.
“Do not teach me about law. I am aware of the codes of the police, media and even political parties,” Ms. Banerjee said while addressing the first convention of Trinamool Yuva — the party’s youth wing.
Alleging that this section of the media was paying people to entice them into making false allegations against her government, she said political parties were being used as “guinea pigs” for the business interests of media houses.
Ms. Banerjee urged the Trinamool Yuva representatives to use social networking sites to counter the misleading, anti-government campaign with well-argued statements. “The most important work of the Trinamool Yuva is building up the party’s image.”
Highlighting the various activities taken up by her government, she said peace was restored in Darjeeling and Jangalmahal but her critics persisted with hollow allegations.
“Those who underestimate the Trinamool Congress should bear in mind that the party will be a force to reckon with at the all-India level.”
Criticism against the government started with infant deaths in state-run hospitals, followed by ‘farmer suicides’ where any suicide was labelled as that of a farmer, and now there was a conspiracy to insult women by referring to the frequent rape cases, Ms. Banerjee said.
She assured the people that action would be taken against any genuine incident of crime against women, but said it was becoming difficult to ascertain whether there was truth in such allegations.
Stating that it had been only a year since the Left Front government was voted out of power, Ms. Banerjee asserted that “people will not forgive those who are working as agents to bring them back to power.”
Police complaints would have to be made and strong action should be taken, as documents and files related to the Left Front government had gone missing, she added.
Keywords: Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal government, Trinamool Yuva convention, false allegations, Left Front government, Trinamool Congress, media canards, anti-government campaign
nowhere in the world can one come across such brazen outrageous threat to the media. this effort to stifle the media will never work in any democracy and will be counter productive. having said that, it is absolutely true that most of the mainstream media toe the line of the ruling party at the centre (congress) fearing loss of ad revenue if they antagonise the regime. the tv news channels especially are really biased in their reporting and turn a blind eye to the failure of congress ruled states and report only on failures of non-congress ruled ones and. it is high time the tv news channels do a soul searching in the interest of fair and unbiased reporting and to champion the cause of free press
Mamta is rightly accusing Media, the same situations facing underway in Gujarat. Mr. Modi regim criticised and alleged by opposition congress through local gujarati daily by giving a huge advertisement of Central govt flop schemes and agenda to nail and propaganda manner to malign Modi govt.
Media should work in very neutral way, but money power works in this forth estate.
"...political parties were being used as “guinea pigs” for the business interests of media houses."
Absolutely true.
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