KOLKATA, March 8: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Centre from the protest stage at Dharamtala in the city hub, demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation over the ongoing controversy surrounding the SIR issue and alleging that former Governor C. V. Ananda Bose was pressured to resign.
Addressing her supporters at the sit-in protest, Banerjee accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of attempting to undermine the electoral process by deleting voters’ names from the rolls.
“They are conducting the election even before the polls are held. Tell the Prime Minister to resign,” she said, taking a swipe at the leadership at the Centre.
The chief minister asserted that her government would not allow people to be deprived of their voting rights.
“People must be allowed to vote. We will not let anyone snatch away the right to vote,” Banerjee said while alleging that the SIR exercise was being used to arbitrarily remove names from the electoral rolls.
She further claimed that women were being “slectively” targeted during the process.
“They do not like women. That is why they are selectively deleting women’s names,” she alleged, citing an example of a woman in her household whose name was removed from the voter list after her marriage and change of address.
Banerjee also accused the BJP of spreading “negative propaganda” against Bengalis.
According to her, BJP leaders were misleading people by claiming that she had allowed large numbers of Muslims to enter the state.
“Was I even born when the country became independent ” she asked, dismissing the allegations.
Referring to Bose’s resignation earlier this week, Banerjee alleged that he was forced to step down. She claimed that during the recent visit of President Droupadi Murmu to Bengal, Bose was supposed to receive her but was instead taken to Delhi and made to resign.
“Use sombody when needed, but discard (the person) when the job is done,” Banerjee remarked, referring to a Bengali proverb, and questioning the circumstances behind Bose’s sudden resignation. She allegeed the BJP’s role in the development. (UNI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
