Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her recent protest here, saying it was first time in the history of the country that a Chief Minister went on a sit-in in support of those who have duped millions of people.
“Crores of people in the State and families of those who committed suicide after losing their savings are asking questions as to why are you [Ms. Banerjee] are scared of investigation in the chit fund scam. Why were you on dharna in support of those who compromised the investigation,” Mr. Modi asked.
Ms. Banerjee staged the protest on February 3 when a group of CBI officers knocked on the doors of Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar, who had investigated the scam earlier. She withdrew it on February 5 after the Supreme Court passed an order restraining the agency from arresting Mr. Kumar.
The Prime Minister, addressing a rally at Maynagudi in Jalpaigudi district of West Bengal, said that he wanted to assure every family who suffered in the scam that the chowkidaar would not spare the people who had looted their savings. “Whether it is the one who has looted or who is providing protection to those who indulged in the loot, nobody will be spared. They can come in large numbers and sit on dharna. They can bring as many leaders as they can, but they will have to give an account of every penny taken away from the poor,” Mr. Modi said in the speech, which was streamed live on a number of social networking sites of the BJP.
Fight against corruption
Using the term Mahamilawat (highly adulterated) to describe the Opposition parties once again, the Prime Minister said that he would not allow their attempts to protect brokers and middlemen involved in corruption to succeed.
Citing the stand taken by the State unit of the Congress on opposing the Trinamool government, Mr. Modi took a jibe at Congress president Rahul Gandhi. “While leaders of the State Congress are saying there is lawlessness in West Bengal and the corrupt and goons are ruling the State, in Delhi the brother-in-law of Mr. Vadra is singing the tune of Didi [Ms. Banerjeee],” Mr. Modi said.
During his 40-minute speech, he spoke about the protests in Kolkata, and dubbed the Trinamool rule in West Bengal as “part two rule of the Communists” alleging that the party had brought the same culture of political violence.
On the issue of triple talaq, he targeted the Congress and said that the party’s stand has cheated millions of Muslim women.
