Former Jharkhand rural development minister K.N. Tripathi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah of promoting regionalism in the country by using all their powers to defeat Mamata Banerjee in the upcoming Bengal elections.

“The act of the Prime Minister and minister of home affairs is not as per the dignity of their respective posts, ” the veteran Congress leader said on Monday.

Tripathi, who is also the national president of the Congress-affiliated Indian National Trade Union Congress (Tripathi faction), however, did not name the two leaders. “They should maintain the dignity of their posts and should not damage the federal structure of the nation,” he said while interacting with the media at Circuit House here during the second day of a three-day function of the trade union.

He said the nation stood dismayed at the acts of the BJP. "We (Congress) have also ruled the nation for more than 70 years, and have witnessed very famous prime ministers, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. But he never indulged in such acts of using the entire power to defeat a chief minister,” Tripathi said.

He equated the BJP's tactic of attacking Mamata Banerjee from all sides with that of the British surrounding the valiant Rani Lakshmibai. "The actions of our prime minister and minister of home affairs is totally disgraceful," he claimed.

Accusing the Union government of trying to destroy the federal structure of the nation, Tripathi said, “The Constitution clearly mentions 47 subjects in the state list, including law and order, labour laws, agriculture laws, etc. But the central government is desperately acting to break the federal structure. It seems the Centre believes that state governments have no powers of their own."

He also accused the central government of carrying out privatisation in all sectors, especially coal, leading to escalation of violence in collieries across the country, including Dhanbad.

“Earlier during Congress rule mining was carried out by public sector companies. Instead, the BJP government has handed over coal excavation work to private contractors in order to get a share of profits from them. Consequently, local goons are trying to develop their influence on these contractors leading to violence,” he said.