Fight pol battle but show courtesy, says CM Mamata Banerjee in rally next door

KOLKATA: Without directly referring to the RG Kar incident, chief minister Mamata Banerjee, during her first political campaign where the victim's family stays, sent out a subtle message asking everyone to "maintain boundaries" and show "courtesy" to each other.

"No matter how much drama or deceit there is, remember one thing: If someone is a candidate in an election, they have the right to speak for themselves. But elections are part of politics. One political person can certainly speak to another political person. However, I will not make any derogatory remarks. You should also maintain courtesy," said Banerjee.

On April 5, the BJP candidate was purportedly heard in a viral video saying "If I meet the CM, I would either ‘throw her into jail by grabbing her hair' or ‘throw her into the gutter and thrash her'." The remarks were reportedly made during a campaign near Sodepur Azadhind Nagar on Saturday.

The remark prompted Trinamool MP and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee to even complain to the EC against the RG Kar victim's mother, a BJP candidate. Banerjee even referred to it in the SC hearings.

The chief minister claimed that despite the state taking action in law and order cases, it was being "unnecessarily maligned". "They say we have destroyed Bengal — tell me, are you not happy here? This is a large state; if something happens, we act immediately. Why malign the state?" asked Banerjee.

The CM also warned against divisive politics in Bengal. "Those who come to power through riots can do anything. I hear that some people create divisions between Bengalis and non-Bengalis. When you live, eat and earn in Bengal, live in peace. We are not BJP. They oppress Bengalis in Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. But we do not oppress non-Bengalis. Don't listen to BJP. Live here in peace," said Banerjee.

The chief minister said she has been maligned a lot, but it was time those maligning her looked at themselves. "Before maligning others' character, think about your own. You have defamed Bengal a lot. One day you will understand. When I was the railway minister, they used to call me Bengal's railway minister. Even after I developed Pushkar, Ajmer, Delhi Metro Rail and Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation, they said these things. They still envy Bengal," claimed the CM.


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