Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Tuesday accused his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee of running a corrupt and undemocratic government in the state. “Nothing can be more shameful for a democracy than a chief minister sitting on a dharna,” ANI quoted him as saying.
Adityanath was speaking at a rally in Purulia district, where he arrived via road from Bokaro in Jharkhand. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister was forced to address a rally in the state via a teleconference on Sunday after the Trinamool Congres government did not allow his helicopter to land.
Banerjee has been on a dharna since Sunday night after the Central Bureau of Investigation arrived at the home of Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar to question him in connection with two Ponzi scams. Banerjee, who has earlier described Kumar as “one of the best officers”, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre of misusing the CBI for political vendetta.
Adityanath said Kumar was a corrupt police officer and accused Banerjee of protecting him, the Hindustan Times reported. He also alleged that the state government was in the grip of anarchy. “We won by such a huge margin in Uttar Pradesh, there was no violence,” he said. “Bengal is gripped by political violence.”
Adityanath said the state government was involved in unconstitutional activities. “That is the reason why a ‘sanyasi’ and ‘yogi’ like me is not being allowed to step on the soil of Bengal,” he added.
While the country has developed under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, nothing has happened in West Bengal, he claimed. “I came by road. I saw so much poverty,” Adityanath added.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!