"Unfortunate moment for the country", said Mamata Banerjee on Alok Verma's sacking
Breaking her silence on the sacking of Alok Verma as the chief of the CBI, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today called it "an unfortunate moment for the country" and "political vendetta against a man the government doesn't like."
Asked if she thought Mr Verma was targeted because of the Rafale fighter jet deal issue, Ms Banerjee said, "This question you can ask the Congress. Give this credit to them."
Speaking to reporters at the Gangasagar Mela Camp in Kolkata today, the West Bengal chief minister said, "The CBI incident is very unfortunate. It is an unfortunate moment for the country also. Now so many agencies are being totally misused. And used by some political corner. This government, I don't know why it is doing these thinks hurriedly and without doing any homework. Just it is political vendetta. They don't like a man so you are to go."
"I am fed up with these illegal, motivated things. I have been in politics for many years but never seen anything like this," she added.
She, in fact, said a super emergency was on in the country. "Indiraji's emergency did not work. This situation today is worse," she said.
Earlier in the day, Ms Banerjee had slammed the BJP at Barasat, some 40 km from Kolkata, for the film, The Accidental Prime Minister, warning that that someone could now well make a film called The Disastrous Prime Minister. She did not name Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The Film Accidental Prime Minister has distorted fact. If you distort facts, misinform people, accuse people without evidence, it is a crime. Next film could be Disastrous PM or Communal PM. Why open Pandora Box, close this chapter," she said in Kolkata.
Ms Banerjee repeated her attack of yesterday claiming that the centre is hijacking credit for schemes in which the state government was a paying partner like Ayushman Bharat, the health scheme. Ms Banerjee yesterday announced West Bengal was pulling out of the scheme because the centre had sent out letters to beneficiaries of this scheme with a photo of the Prime Minister on it and a symbol that was similar to the BJP's party symbol, the lotus.
"That means the state government is no more, fed structure no more. Why this dictatorship will continue? If you want to implement a central project also, but the DM will monitor," Ms Banerjee said.
The Trinamool Congress chief promised full support to the people of Assam which has been rocked by clashes over the Citizenship Amendment Bill and an unfinished National Citizens Register exercise.
"We are in touch with the people of Assam and Tripura. They have the full support of the Trinamool," she said.
Asked about guest at the Trinamool's mega mahagathbandhan rally on January 19, Ms Banerjee said 20 leaders had confirmed, including three from the BJP - Yashwant Sinha, Shatrughan Sinha and Arun Shourie. Who will represent the Congress is still not clear.