Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed anger over the bandh called by the Congress and the Left Front during Sarwaswati Puja on January 29, during which a Muezzin of a local mosque along with another person were killed after a clash broke out at Jalangi in Murshidabad district. Three other received bullet injuries in the incident.
Delivering her speech at the state Assembly on Friday, Mamata Banerjee hit out at the CPI (M) leader Sujan Chakraborty and Congress Chief whip Manoj Chakraborty and said, “Those who are questioning the functioning of the state government should explain why they have called bandh on Saraswati Puja in Jalangi, Murshidabad district. Isn’t it that they are trying to play with the sentiments of the people during festivals?”
Mamata fumed after Sujan Chakraborty, while questioning the functioning of the state government, said that on many occasions he had heard that Left Front vote has shifted towards the BJP in Bhawanipur (Mamata’s assembly constituency) and other seats, whereas the vote share of many leaders (of the ruling party) had decreased in Lok Sabha as compare to the last Assembly polls.
Sujan’s observation irked Mamata and she said, “You take care of Jadavpur (Sujan’s constituency). No need to interfere in Bhawanipur. I question them why they called the bandh during Saraswati Puja in Jalangi. Do they have any answer?”
Replying to Left Front’s accusation on why JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh was not allowed to deliver her speech inside the Calcutta University on February 13, 2020, Mamata said, “When I was beaten up by Left Front workers at Hazra More (on August 16, 1990), then where was the Left leaders. When she (Aishe Ghosh) was attacked in JNU, I immediately sent Dinesh Trivedi to JNU to express our solidarity. I don’t want to do politics in such matter.”
A senior TMC leader, on condition of anonymity, said, “You tell me why the state government will allow any political speech inside the campus. You ask any parents of the students..will they support this? We felt that minimum decorum should be maintained inside the campus because there are other students who face academic problems due to such events.”
For the last two days Aishe Ghosh is leading several anti-NRC and anti-CAA rallies in Kolkata. On Friday, she held a gathering in front of Jadavpur University (JU).
On Thursday, Calcutta University (CU) denied permission to 'Calcutta University Save Autonomy Save University Forum’ to organise an event inside the campus reportedly on commercialisation of education, secularism and freedom of speech. In the event Aishe Ghosh was supposed to deliver her speech.
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