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NEW DELHI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has declared war against the Bharatiya Janata Party with both sides dropping the kid gloves to trade charges, and hurl accusations at each other.
The Trinamool Congress that has been placed rather effectively under the CBI scanner in the Saradha scam---with MP Srinjoy Bose arrested and others being questioned---has clearly decided to come out all guns firing. The first indication of this was Banerjee’s decision to attend the Congress celebrations for Jawaharlal Nehru, but she softened this with meetings with senior BJP leaders including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and party octogenarian L.K.Advani.
Relations between the TMC and BJP have plummeted for the worse over the CBI probe in the Sharada scam. However, this was further fuelled by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval who visited West Bengal after the Burdwan blasts and criticised the TMC government. Spokesperson Derek O Brien was fielded to attack Doval and the BJP, accusing them of “stage managing” the blasts. He said that these were “part of the BJPs devious master plan, concerted strategy used even during the PMs poll campaign in Bengal.” He went on to add that Doval is a “known RSS sympathiser”. He further added that the entire plan had been “hatched in the RSS headquarters.”
Jaitley was riled sufficiently to use his blog to hit out at Banerjee, stating, ““I was deeply disappointed with Mamta Didi’s reaction to the interrogation and arrest of some TMC leaders in the Sharada Chit Fund Scam… Some individuals connected with the TMC have been involved in making easy money from the Ponzi schemes. The schemes have looted small investors… It was incumbent on any responsible leader to purge the Party of such leaders. It is regrettable that Mamta Didi instead of doing that has chosen identify herself with the cause of these leaders.”
On the Burdwan blasts the Finance Minister stated, “Similar is her reaction to the Burdwan blast. The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has arrested several people who have engineered the blast. They are enemies of the State. The West Bengal Police or the other intelligence agencies have no substantive material to establish that the blast was stage-managed? If there is no such material, why has Didi chosen to allege that the blast was stage managed? Such allegations clearly help the actual culprits. This is neither responsible nor Nationalistic.”
This clearly seems to have been the final straw on the TMC leaders back who has now announced a full program of action against the BJP government in Delhi. The TMC said that it will seek pin the government down on its failure to bring back black money, as well as the curtailment of pro-people schemes. The parliamentary party will also stage dharnas and protests inside Parliament. Banerjee also plans to lead demonstrations against the centre in West Bengal joining the old Left tradition of protests and bands even while it was in power.
Derek O Brien mounted the counter attack asking the BJP to explain where it had got the billions of dollars to spend on the Lok Sabha elections. And how much money it has spent on the state elections?
On the Burdwan blasts he raised “three specific charges” :
(i) This is all part of a devious BJP master game plan;
(ii) The current PM used this narrative throughout his election campaign in Bengal. This wasn’t a mere coincidence. It was a plan;
(iii) The NSA is a known RSS sympathiser. These devious plans are all conceived, drafted and approved at RSS HQ.”
