West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who arrived in New Delhi on Monday, targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the entry of the Delhi Police into the Banga Bhavan, the state guesthouse here.
“I am going to Banga Bhavan to see our people and the atrocities of the Delhi Police. When the Home Minister comes to Bengal, we give him the red carpet. But when we come to Delhi, you give us the black carpet,’’ she told reporters ahead of her meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters here.
Mamata’s visit to Delhi comes amid her vehement protests against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise undertaken by the ECI.
The chief minister asserted that what she has gained through her struggle, she will preserve through struggle, indicating her resolve to go for a long haul.
Mamata, who is accompanied by her nephew Abhishek, said there is no benefit in showing muscle. Nevertheless, expressing outrage over the entry of the Delhi Police into the Banga Bhavan, she questioned whether the massive presence of the force was out of some fear.
Notably, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has brought to Delhi 50 voters who are listed as ‘deceased’ in the Election Commission’s records. Family members of some of those who lost a relative due to the SIR exercise have also arrived in Delhi. Mamata has alleged that the Delhi Police are harassing these ordinary people who have come from the state.
She claimed that the Delhi Police are exhibiting excessive activity by surrounding the Banga Bhawan. ‘Searches’ are being conducted there, causing distress among the ordinary families arriving from the state.
Meanwhile, both Banga Bhavans are surrounded by Delhi Police personnel with barricades put up on the lanes leading to them and Haily Road, where the Bhawns are located, closed. However, the police didn’t give an reason for their actions.
Delhi Police’s “search” at the Bengal Bhavan prompted Banerjee to react strongly, rushing to Chanakyapuri before visiting Hailey Road, accompanied by Abhishek privately. “We have come to inform the nation about the families whose names were removed from electoral rolls,” she said while addressing the media.
“What we have gained through struggle, we will preserve through struggle. We have emerged through our movement, and the bereaved families wish to express their concerns through the media. Even if no one else fights for the country, I will fight,” she said.