Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 12 (ANI): Tushar Kanti Das, on whose complaint an FIR has been lodged against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has said that her remarks during a speech were “truly shocking” and “utterly reprehensible” as they could have incited communal tension between two religious communities.
Tushar Kanti Das told ANI that the Kolkata Police should investigate the matter, stating that Mamata Banerjee is a national leader and “pitting people against one another” is “truly shocking”.
“Mentioning a specific community, she (Mamata Banerjee) hinted that if she were to step aside, they would destroy us. But why would they do that? She claims to be secular and yet she is inciting conflict between two religious communities–all for her own vested interests and her vote bank. Perhaps she feared the BJP might defeat her; that is why she was trying to incite people,” Das said, referring to a speech by the Trinamool Congress chief during the election campaign.
“I want the Kolkata Police to investigate the matter… She is a national leader and pitting people against one another, inciting riots and bloodshed, and speaking of rivers of blood flowing–are truly shocking… Someone had to eventually step forward… I want to ask her – which community would surround everyone?” he asked.
Das said what Mamata Banerjee stated in her speech was broadcast on news channels and drew widespread condemnation.
“People ask why didn’t I complaint while TMC was in power? It is a matter of timing. I had hoped the Election Commission of India (ECI) would take cognisance of the issue and investigate why she made such remarks,” he said.
“But when I saw that no action was taken–and in the meantime, the election results were declared–I felt that if no one else was complaining, I should do it myself… Her comments were utterly reprehensible, as they could incite communal tension between two religious communities. Given her stature–she was the Chief Minister at the time and heads a national party–what she said was truly shocking,” he added.
Kolkata Police has registered an FIR against Mamata Banerjee. According to police sources, the FIR was registered at Hare Street, Kolkata Central Division, on June 7 under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 196(1), Section 351(2) and Section 352.
In his complaint, Tushar Kanti Das, alleged that on March 9 this year, Mamata Banerjee delivered “a misleading speech intended to provoke a breach of peace, affect public tranquillity, maintain communal harmony, and threaten the democratic structure of the state”.
The FIR has come at a time when Mamata Banerjee is battling turmoil in her party after election defeat with a large section of rebel MLAs having been recognised as “opposition” in the assembly and the rift reaching the party’s parliamentary party. While three party MPs have resigned from Rajya Sabha, around 20 MPs have decided to approach the Lok Sabha Speaker, claiming to be “real TMC”. They have also decided to seek separate seating arrangement. (ANI)
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