Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) this Saturday, accusing it of weaponizing central investigative agencies against West Bengal. Speaking at a public rally in Bankura's Saltora, Banerjee equated the Election Commission (EC) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), suggesting the BJP is using them as tools to target the state's ruling party.
A Defiant Stance Against Central Agencies
The fiery speech came in the wake of recent ED searches at the premises of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), a political consultancy. Banerjee did not mince words, rhetorically questioning the BJP's strategy. "Does BJP think they will be able to stop us with ED and EC?" he asked the crowd, asserting that the Trinamool Congress "won't bow down to Delhi, even if we die."
Earlier, on social media platform X, he had framed the issue as a broader assault on democracy. "Democratic institutions are being bent to partisan will, dissent is criminalised and even the living are coerced into fearful silence," Banerjee posted. He emphasized that genuine political battles should be fought on substantive issues like job creation, housing, infrastructure, and healthcare, not through agency-led intimidation.
Bankura's Transformation and Development Promises
Addressing the gathering in a region once notorious for Maoist insurgency, Banerjee painted a picture of transformation under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's rule. He recounted Bankura's troubled past, marked by left-wing extremism and severe water scarcity in areas like Indpur and Chatna, forcing residents to travel far for education and medical care.
"Bankura, once a hotspot for Maoist activities, is now peaceful. This is one of CM Mamata Banerjee's biggest successes," he declared, crediting her government for building multi-super-specialty hospitals, colleges, and proper roads.
Shifting to future promises, Banerjee spotlighted the employment potential in Saltora's mining sector. He stated that of the 133 hectares of state government land there, 18 mines exist. "If all the mines become operational, more than 25,000 people will get employment," he claimed, adding that the Chief Minister's Office has ordered a review to expedite the process, with results expected by March.
Criticism of SIR and Allegations of Harassment
Banerjee also trained his guns on the State Investigation Report (SIR) process, linking it to the hardships faced during demonetisation. He accused the BJP of harassing lifelong residents of Bengal by making them prove their citizenship. "Do BJP netas like Subhash Sarkar and Saumitra Khan have their own birth certificates?" he questioned pointedly.
He alleged severe consequences of this process, stating that almost 70 people have died in the past two months in connection with it, including recent deaths in Ranibandh and Birbhum. "The Bangla-opposing BJP has not only financially strangled Bengalis but has also caused the deaths of many," he charged, framing it as a systematic campaign against the state's people.
In his concluding remarks, Banerjee positioned Mamata Banerjee as the savior who rescued Bengal from 34 years of Left Front rule and vowed continued resistance against the current central government's pressure, reinforcing his party's defiant slogan.
