Accept mandate and allow us to work now, Didi tells Centre | India News – Times of India

KOLKATA: Learn how to “accept the people’s mandate” and “allow us to work on Covid now”, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee told the Centre and BJP on Thursday, alleging that central ministers were coming to Bengal to engineer communal riots.
“We do not want to quarrel with you now,” Banerjee said.
“We were sworn in at 10.45 am on Wednesday, the first stern letter from the Centre reached us at 7 pm the same evening and a central team arrived on Thursday morning. Did central teams ever come to ask about oxygen and vaccine shortage? We wish the Centre was similarly proactive when Hathras (gang rape incident) happened and riots took place in Delhi or Uttar Pradesh,” she added.
Banerjee announced Rs 2 lakh as compensation for the next of kin of 16 people who died in post-poll violence, “most of them before May 3, when the model poll code of conduct was in force and law and order was under the Election Commission”.
“I know money cannot bring back those who have died but this will provide some relief to the bereaved families,” she said. One of the dead was a Sanjukta Morcha supporter and the rest were from BJP and Trinamool.
Banerjee then appealed to the Centre and BJP: “…Let good sense prevail. A lot of fake videos are in circulation. Stop instigating people. A fake video was sent to me on Wednesday night showing a woman being assaulted. Later, it turned out to be a dispute over tree-felling,” she said.
“All BJP CMs have been asked to speak against me,” she said in response to Assam BJP leaders’ contention that BJP workers from Bengal were taking shelter in Assam. “Cooch Behar borders Assam. People from Assam come to Bengal when there are disturbances there. It is significant that BJP has won most seats in Cooch Behar,” she said. Banerjee has said most of the violence is happening in areas where BJP has won.
The Bengal CM questioned the presence of central ministers in Bengal who, she said, “were going to villages and instigating communal riots”.