Kya atyachar, anachar chal raha hai ? : Mamata on ED raids

Lashing out at the BJP-led central government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday termed the raids by the Enforcement Directorate against opposition leaders on Thursday as ''a dirty political game'' and questioned: ''Kya atyachar, kya anachar chal raha hai (What atrocities, lawlessness are going on)?'' A feisty Banerjee, who has been convalescing from a knee injury for nearly a month, also charged that ''like Mohammad bin Tughlak (a 14th century Sultan of Delhi known for his whimsical decisions)'', the BJP was attempting to change the country's history by taking a series of ill-conceived decisions, including demonetisation and introduction of GST.

The TMC supremo also took a swipe at the move by NCERT to use the name Bharat instead of India in school textbooks.

''BJP says it wants 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas', but actually means 'Sabka Sath Sabka Satyanash','' Banerjee thundered at a hurriedly called press conference held at her residence near the Kalighat temple.

The ED on Thursday raided the residences of TMC minister Jyotipriya Mallick and others in connection with its probe into the alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam in Bengal. It also raided the premises of Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra in Jaipur and Sikar as part of another alleged money laundering probe.

'''Kya atyachar, kya anachar chal raha hai?' (What atrocities, lawlessness are going on?)... BJP is playing a dirty game in the name of ED raids on opposition leaders across the country ahead of the Lok Sabha elections (in 2024). I want to ask whether there has been a single such raid at any BJP leader's residence?'' she said.

The chief minister also threatened to file a police case against the BJP and ED if anything happens to Mallick during the searches at his residences in Kolkata.

''Jyotipriya Mallick is unwell. I will lodge an FIR if anything happens to him during the ED raids,'' Banerjee said. She complained that the raids were being conducted despite the lack evidence of wrong doing.

''There must be some proper evidence. Without investigation, you cannot behave like this. Every morning you are raiding houses of ministers, leaders and their relatives not only in Bengal but in the entire country,'' she said.

''All our leaders and workers are busy in the district. Tomorrow too they will be busy with the Carnival. If they conduct raids at the residences of all the leaders then what is left of the government?'' Banerjee asked, pointing out that she felt this was an attempt to stop the TMC government in its tracks.

She also pointed out that the Rajasthan chief minister's son was being called for questioning by ED and the Congress leader in the state was facing raids, just ahead of elections to state.

The chief minister terming the raids on opposition leaders as politically motivated, questioned why BJP leaders have never faced any ED probes. ''I would like to question whether any BJP leader or minister have been raided. They are also trying to influence the media and telling them what to show and what not to,'' Banerjee alleged.

In reply to Banerjee's charges, BJP's Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged, ''In the affidavit submitted during assembly polls Mallick's wife's properties were valued as being worth of several crores. How come he amassed so much property? How come his close aide Bakibur Rahman had amassed so much property?'' Adhikari claimed, "the CM has aided and abetted the plunder and loot of ration materials by his party activists and their cohorts.'' Banerjee also criticised the central government authorities for not inscribing the name of Rabindranath Tagore on the plaques commemorating the award of UNESCO 'World Heritage Site' at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan and warned of widespread demonstrations unless these were replaced by Friday morning.

''It is only for Tagore that Santiniketan got the UNESCO tag and you have removed his name from the plaques. We were silent because of the Durga Puja celebrations. If you do not remove the plaques and put up new ones with the Nobel Laureate's name by 10am tomorrow, our people will launch a demonstration holding Kobiguru's photos to their chests,'' Banerjee told reporters at a press conference here.

A huge controversy was triggered after the university authorities put up marble plaques bearing the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also the chancellor of the varsity, and vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty, but did not have any mention of Tagore. Santiniketan was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List on September 17.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)