"What If Cow Hits Us? Will BJP...": Mamata Banerjee On 'Cow Hug Day' Row

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday took a dig at the Centre over its recent notification asking people to celebrate February 14 as 'Cow Hug Day' and wondered whether the Centre would pay compensation if the cow hurts a person while getting hugged.

Reiterating her call to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Trinamool Congress chief said the country should strive to install a "people's government to end anarchy".

Mocking the Centre's notification asking people to hug a cow on Valentine's Day, which was later withdrawn, Ms Banerjee wondered what would happen if the cow hits the person.

"Who will take responsibility if the cow hits us? Will they (the Centre) pay us compensation? They should first approve the compensation of Rs 10 lakh for those who might get hurt after being hit by the cow," she said.

Talking in the same vein, Ms Banerjee wondered if in the near future, the Centre might come up with a notification asking people to "hug an ox or a buffalo".

"All of us respect cows and also offer our prayers. But the Centre might ask us to hug an ox or a buffalo in future," she said.

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) on Friday said it had withdrawn the appeal to celebrate February 14 as 'Cow Hug Day' following directions from the government amid widespread criticism on social media.

The withdrawal of the appeal comes after Union minister Parshottam Rupala said it would be good if people respond positively to the call given by the board to celebrate February 14 as 'Cow Hug Day'. February 14 is observed as Valentine's Day across the world.

Speaking in the assembly, Ms Banerjee urged everyone to defeat the BJP in 2024.

"The BJP has to be defeated in 2024. We will have to fight to install a people's government to end this anarchy," she said.

In an apparent reference to BJP president JP Nadda's recent remark on violence and corruption in West Bengal, she asserted that her state happens to have a better law and order situation than other parts of the country.

"They are blaming us for the law and order situation. The situation here is much better than many other states, especially the BJP-ruled ones," she said.

The Chief Minister slammed the Centre for "maintaining silence over the killing of innocent villagers by BSF" in the border areas of West Bengal.

"The BSF has unleashed terror in the border areas of West Bengal. Innocent people are being killed there. The Centre never bothers to send a fact-finding team to look into these killings," she said.

Hitting out at the BJP for "letting loose a malicious campaign" against the Trinamool by trying to project the entire party and the government as "corrupt", Ms Banerjee said people would teach the saffron party a lesson.

"The BJP is behaving as if it is the only party of honest leaders, and ours is a party of thieves. The saffron party is like a washing machine. A tainted person becomes a saint after joining the BJP," she said.

"They are arresting our people for alleged involvement in coal scam, but why is no action being taken against the custodian of the coal mines and the officials of the Centre-owned Coal India and ECL?" she questioned.

Hitting out at Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari's remark that the state government is misguiding Governor CV Ananda Bose, Ms Banerjee said, "They are saying we have taken the new governor within our grip. Who is he to make such a remark? Is he the advisor of the governor? We condemn such a comment." The relationship between the state government and the present Raj Bhawan occupant is in sharp contrast to what the state has witnessed during Mr Bose's predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar's tenure as Governor.

Mr Dhankhar's acrimonious relationship with the state government made regular headlines as the TMC accused him acting of as an "agent of the BJP", and Mr Dhankhar alleged that the state government was not functioning as per constitutional norms.

In a departure from the past, Mr Bose shares a very cordial relationship with the chief minister, for which he has drawn the ire of the West Bengal BJP.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)