West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised the Centre for rioting in Northeast Delhi in which 46 people were killed. She was speaking at a gathering of party workers of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Monday.
She also alleged that the violence in Delhi was “a planned genocide”.
“I have been told by many persons that it’s a planned genocide later shown as a riot. Delhi police is under the Centre. There were Delhi police, the CRPF and the CISF. But nothing was done. And BJP is so shameless that they have not even sought an apology,” she said.
She also requested her party to raise funds to help Delhi riot victims and observed a minute’s silence praying for those killed in the riots.
She also condemned the ‘goli maaro…’ slogans raised during the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Kolkata on Sunday. “The slogan is incendiary, provocative and illegal. All who raised it would be penalised. It’s Kolkata, not Delhi. It’s Bengal. If we spare a single person, others would be encouraged,” the fiery CM said.
“Those who talk about Bengal’s law and order, tell me why the BJP leader who created the provocations (before the Delhi clashes) have not been booked and arrested. They did it here yesterday and we have picked them up today,” she said.
“Who is a traitor? People will decide. Who are you to decide?” she asked.
She also asked her party workers to help identify the rioters from available media footage. “Identify and inform the police but do not take the law in your own hands,” she said.
Kolkata police on Monday morning arrested three BJP supporters in connection with the incident of raising the ‘Goli Maaro’ slogans and booked them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, include non-bailable sections.
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The TMC had hit back at Shah after he called out to the state government on a range of issues. In response, Abhishek Banerjee, the CM’s nephew and chief of TMC youth wing, wrote on Twitter, “Rather than coming and preaching #Bengal @AmitShah you should have explained and apologised for failing to save more than 50 innocent lives in #DelhiViolence right under your nose. Mr. Shah, Bengal is better off without bigotry and hatred that BJP is trying to spread.”
West Bengal is due for the civic polls in April-May.