Mamata Banerjee on Sunday ended her public silence on Wednesday’s Parliament security breach, asserting zero tolerance for compromises on security and lambasting the BJP for attempts to “defame” her government by accusing Trinamul of proximity to alleged “mastermind” Lalit Jha.
The Trinamul Congress chief, on her way to Delhi with nephew and heir apparent Abhishek Banerjee to participate in an INDIA meeting on Tuesday and one with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, said at Calcutta airport that the December 13 incident was a “very serious” security lapse.
“It’s a security lapse. The (Union) home minister (Amit Shah) already admitted that. This is a very serious matter, no doubt…. Let them investigate the matter. Because we don’t compromise on any security matter,” she said, addressing journalists in English. “Always, it is the great lapses, for the new Parliament.”
The BJP and Trinamul have been trading barbs since the saffron camp accused Mamata’s party of being close to Jha, a Calcutta resident and a teacher.
Over the past few days, the saffron ecosystem has been circulating a few photos, including a selfie of a person that it claims is Jha, as “evidence” of Trinamul’s proximity to him.
The selfie, apparently taken at a Saraswati Puja pandal (purportedly in February 2020), has in the frame Baranagar’s Trinamul MLA, Tapas Roy, and the party’s youth wing general secretary, Soumya Bakshi.
Senior Trinamul leaders have issued statements saying countless people pose for selfies with those in public life, particularly when they attend public events, and these photos do not establish proximity to political figures or their parties.
Asked about the BJP’s allegation, Mamata was dismissive.
“So what? They have said it…. There is no connection with Bengal. Jharkhand and what other places, I do not know,” she said.
“We want the investigation to be unbiased. That is why we are not going to make ulto palta (silly) comments. We don’t speak abol tabol (nonsense),” the Bengal chief minister said.
“What we say, we will say responsibly. Let’s all be responsible first. Let’s keep that in mind. Spreading malicious propaganda and defaming Bengal is their full-time job. Bengal is not indulgent towards any criminal activity.”
Trinamul sources said the leadership was not losing sleep over the allegations, and was sure such attempts would backfire on the BJP in Bengal.
Trinamul has inside and outside Parliament been demanding Shah’s resignation as Union home minister, BJP Lok Sabha member Pratap Simmha’s expulsion and arrest, and a statement in the House from the Prime Minister.
A recommendation from Simmha had facilitated the issuance of visitors’ passes to the two youths who stormed the Lok Sabha and released yellow smoke from canisters.
Responding to a question on the BJP’s inaction against Simmha, the Mysore-Kodagu MP, Mamata said: “Let the members of Parliament raise the issue. Already they raised the issue, that’s why Derek (O’Brien)… and 15 MPs were suspended.”
Trinamul has repeatedly alleged that the expulsion of its Krishnanagar MP, Mahua Moitra, from the Lok Sabha earlier this month came over a much less serious matter.
On Thursday, Trinamul’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, O’Brien, was suspended from the House for the remainder of the winter session. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar cited “unruly behaviour” and “misconduct” as the reasons for the disciplinary action.
Fourteen Lok Sabha MPs — from parties such as the Congress, DMK and the CPM — too were suspended on the charge of disrupting proceedings, but the suspension of one was withdrawn after it became evident he was not in the House.
Trinamul has accused the BJP of diversionary tactics to draw attention away from the security lapse.
