Mamata Banerjee (File photo)
KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the Centre of “hatching conspiracies” to pull down the governments in opposition-ruled states by employing federal agencies and money power, and branded the BJP as the “most destructive” party.
The BJP, which leads the ruling coalition at the Centre, hit right back, dismissing her allegation as “baseless” and asserting she will be ousted from power “democratically” after the assembly elections due next year.
Invoking Bengali subnationalism, Banerjee termed BJP an “outsider” in West Bengal and said the state should not be ruled by “Gujarat and outsiders but by the people of the soil”.
Banerjee alleged the Centre has deprived West Bengal of resources and asserted people will give a befitting reply to it for the injustice.
“A conspiracy is being hatched by the Union government to destabilise the elected government of Bengal by using central agencies and money power. BJP is the most destructive party the country has ever seen.
“When the country is busy fighting the Covid pandemic, the BJP is busy destabilising the elected governments in Rajasthan and West Bengal after Madhya Pradesh,” she said addressing her first digital rally to mark the ‘Martyrs’ Day’.
The TMC holds a ‘Martyrs’ Day’ rally on July 21 every year to commemorate the death of 13 people in police firing during a protest led by Banerjee against the then Left Front government in 1993.
“Why should Gujara