Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused PM Modi of 'running a dictatorship'.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee today attacked the Prime Minister, calling his governance a "dictatorship", "arrogant" and "worse than emergency".
Federalism was in danger, she said. She will soon talk to non-BJP chief ministers about it and also seek the President's intervention.
"Modi government is bulldozing the federal structure and violating Constitution. It is interfering in the functioning of the state governments," Ms Banerjee said.
A Niti Ayog letter on Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CCS) seems to be the last straw for Ms Banerjee. The letter said the schemes were being "rationalized" from 66 to 28 as it laid down guidelines on state and central funding ratios and the new names.
"This is being done by force without taking the states into confidence. If they interfere into the functioning of the states, there is no meaning of the existence of the state governments. It is a very serious matter," Ms Banerjee said.
At the press conference at her office today, Ms Banerjee waved around the letter and launched a frontal attack on PM Modi. "If I have to spend 40 per cent of the money for the CCS, why should the programmes be called Prime Minister Yojanas? Who is he? He will be gone in 5 years, unless re-elected. He has been elected once. But there is so much arrogance, so much pride! It's a dictatorship."
They know they won't win in the future. So they are interfering in the media, the judiciary and capturing states," she said.
A few days ago, two central officials came to Kolkata. They were to monitor CSS. "We turned them away," Ms Banerjee said. "Why should the Centre send officials to monitor state treasury? If there is some problem, there is the CAG, the Assembly to keep tabs. How can the Centre intervene? Our federalism is in danger," she added.
A furious Ms Banerjee seemed to be adding insult to injury. "You will run India like this... that's why Kashmir is such a disaster, Pakistan relations are a disaster and NSG," Ms Banerjee added.
The BJP in response sought to equate Ms Banerjee's words to her own actions by raking up issues of sedition charges in her state.
Party leader Siddharth Nath Singh said, "Mamata Banerjee has presided over an anarchist government for five years in Bengal. She has not spared even a farmer, student and cartoonist for criticising or questioning her. Therefore to call the Modi government dictator is far from truth."