Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed the saffron camp over the communal violence in Haryana over the past two days along with the three-month-long ethno-communal turmoil in Manipur.
“One can fool some of the people some of the time, with danga (riots). But one cannot fool all the people all the time,” said the Bengal chief minister.
“Every state, including those governed by BJP, is being incited with communal violence. This is being done with the elections in mind…. But the people do not really love these things. The common people, at the end of the day, want roti-kapda-makaan (food, clothing and shelter),” she added.
Mamata said she understood what her Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar was trying to imply by saying that not everyone could be protected, individually, by a state government, but questioned his government’s role in the wake of the violence that has resulted in the deaths of at least six people, including two home guards and a cleric.
“Today, the entire country is burning. The states of Haryana and Manipur are burning. There is an atmosphere of terror across the country,” she said at a news meet on Wednesday evening.
“I have seen his (Khattar’s) statement. I am not contradicting him. Certainly, not everyone can be protected individually by a state government. But a government cannot provoke division on the basis of caste, creed, riots, communal tension. The tension started because the BJP is playing a very dirty and nasty game, to divide the people, to divide the country, to win the (general) election,” she added.
The clashes that erupted in Haryana’s Nuh over an attempt to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession spread to Gurgaon over the past two days. Incidents of violence and arson were also reported from Palwal, Faridabad and Gurgaon, areas close to Delhi. As many as 116 people have been arrested so far, according to the Haryana government.
The Trinamul chief, who has been one of the loudest voices of criticism against the Narendra Modi government and the BJP over the Manipur situation since May, brought up Manipur again.
“What is happening in Manipur? The flames have not been doused in three-four months…. Entire Northeast is either burning or crying. Be it Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland or Arunachal Pradesh. They are the ones fanning the flames of communal violence, and then they find themselves running short of the water necessary to firefight,” said Mamata.
“Double-engine governments (BJP-led state governments, along with the BJP-led Centre) can only lie doubly,” she added.
She accused the BJP of contributing to the disintegration and destruction of the nation, promising change under the 26-party INDIA coalition, of which Trinamul is a constituent.
“Make no mistake, Team INDIA will fight the battle for change successfully,” said Mamata, adding the next INDIA meeting would take place on August 31 and September 1 in Mumbai.
