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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi government. In scathing attack she strongly condemned those playing politics over “blood of the jawans” for winning Lok Sabha polls and said she does not need lessons on patriotism from “those who killed” the father of the nation.
The Trinamool Congress chief said she has right to speak as a citizen of the country and said whoever is asking about the outcome of the air strikes on terror camps in Balakot is being branded as a Pakistani or traitor.
“This cannot happen that someone will win elections by doing politics with the jawans’ blood. The blood of the jawans is for the country. Jawans work for the country and they do not do politics. I condemn those who are doing politics with the blood of jawans,” Banerjee told reporters at state secretariat ‘Nabanna’.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders have been lacerating opposition leaders, including Banerjee, following her statement that the nation has a right to know what actually happened in Balakot
“I have the right to speak as a citizen of the country. I don’t care. I’m ready to face any punishment for this. When somebody is speaking against them they are being labelled as Pakistani and traitor,” she said.
“I will like to state clearly that I feel proud to be an Indian. I feel proud that I was born in this land. My father was a freedom fighter. I will not take lessons on patriotism from those who have killed Gandhi-ji,” she added.
She alleged that some TV channels were supporting Modi and this was not good for democracy.
“There are some national channels which are supporting Narendra Modi… Might be they are victims of the circumstances. We feel so sorry for the common people of the country because they were not able to know the truth (what happened in the air strike in Balakot). This is not at all good for democracy,” she said.
Stating that the BJP has turned out to be “Modi-Amit Shah private company”, the Trinamool Congress supremo said there was no value of anybody in the party.
Asking why the government failed to work on the intelligence input regarding a possible attack on the jawans at Pulwama, Banerjee said, “We are there for the force, for the country and for the common people but we are against against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi is a shame for the prime ministerial post.”
Banerjee had earlier also raised questions on why the prime minister could not stop the February 14 attack.
“Why there was a terror attack in Pulwama despite intelligent input? Why so many Indian soldiers died in Pulwama terror attack? Why people will play politics about the death of the soldiers in Pulwama. Who is responsible for this?” she said.
“I am for the force, for peace but not for riots, We are against the BJP party,” Banerjee said.
