Kolkata:
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's team, which once powered her
Parivatan campaign in the run-up to elections, is now attacking her. Leading voices like writer-activist Mahasweta Devi today accused the Bengal chief minister of Fascism.
"We did not knowingly invite Fascism. What has been done - the silencing of the people - this is nothing but Fascism," she said.
The remarks came after the police refused permission to a civil rights group to have a meeting at a particular spot in Kolkata.
Many other celebrity members of civil society, like Aparna Sen, Bibhash Chakraborty, Kaushik Sen, Shankho Ghosh who once backed Ms Banerjee, sent messages of condemnation to the Chief Minister.
A furious Mamata Banerjee exploded against civil rights groups like Association for Protection of Democratic Rights or APDR.
"It is an organization, which is absolutely in support of Maoists - in front they are carrying the banner of democracy, in the back a Maoist banner. They are spreading lies," she said.
Ms Banerjee also lashed out against the Fascist tag given to her my Mahasweta Devi.
"I am sorry if she has said so. I am hurt. Because I respect her age, I am not going to comment but I am not taking this very well either. Now they are calling us Fascist. Even for that I am grateful. Let them find other names for me. But supporting terrorists will not be tolerated. The government will take steps against terrorists," she said.
Clearly, Mamata Banerjee's policy towards the Maoists is costing her dearly. Talks with Maoists are going nowhere, and a crackdown is turning friends into foes who are now labeling her a Fascist.