Abhishek Banerjee blames AAI for Santal event, slams BJP for attacks

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee blamed the Airports Authority of India for issues at the Santal Conference attended by President Murmu. He accused the BJP of using the President for political attacks and criticized the Centre for withholding state funds.

'Do Not Blame Us': Banerjee on Santal Conference Row

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee claimed that whatever happened at the International Santal Conference in West Bengal on Saturday was a fault of the Airports Authority of India, under whose jurisdiction the event was organised. The remarks come after President Murmu had publicly expressed disappointment over the arrangements at the 9th International Santal Conference in Darjeeling, West Bengal, questioning the choice of venue and noting the absence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the event on Saturday While addressing a public meeting at Gopinathpur Ground in Mathurapur on Sunday, he said, "We do respect the President, but they (BJP) do not respect the office. We respect the chair. The Prime Minister attacks Bengal whenever there is an election. We did not organise the programme. A letter was sent from the state government stating that the organisers did not have the capability to organise the programme. Whatever happened, the organisers are the primary party responsible. They accepted the invitation -- that was their prerogative. Why people did not turn up is up to the organisers."

He added that the President was attending the event within the jurisdiction of the Airports Authority of India, underlining that TMC should not be blamed for it "She was attending the meeting within the jurisdiction of the Airports Authority of India. The green room was set up by the organisers. It is not our area; the area belongs to the Airports Authority of India. This is your failure. Do not blame us. We showed full respect to the chair. The Constitution is our mother. Only because elections are coming, you are targeting Bengal," he stated.

He stressed that the Centre has dragged the President's chair to target TMC. "They've not spared the President's chair, they have made her make political comments agaisnt us. They say we've insulted the President because our CM was busy in a dharna protecting people's rights," he said.

TMC Slams Centre for Withholding Funds

Banerjee stated that 50 per cent of the names under the Awas scheme have been cleared. He criticised the BJP, saying that the party stopped funds for the development of West Bengal, and hailed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for issuing funds from the State treasury. "In this district, the number of names that were there in the Awas scheme, 50% has already been cleared, and money has been given from the state treasury itself. Without any help from central funds, 34 lakh people have received this. Apparently, we need the BJP for development and change; you're only getting changed by trying to change us. First, you used to say Jay Shri Ram and now Joy Maa Kaali? You tried to stop all of Bengal's funds, but the CM's government has been giving everything from the state treasury. Can you prove if you've given even 10 pennies to Bengal?" he stated.

Banerjee Counters Amit Shah's 'Allegations'

Furthermore, the TMC MP took a swipe at the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying he is unaware of the financial condition of the country. He further noted that the Chief Minister has implemented schemes to stabilise the financial condition of the state. "This gathering is just a trailer; the rest of the movie will be on election result day. When the Union Home Minister came, he had a lot of allegations against us. I would like to counter a few points. Maybe he's a very busy person, and that's why he hasn't spoken to the Finance Minister; maybe that's why he doesn't know the financial condition of the country," Abhishek Banerjee stated.

On Bengal's Debt

"He (Shah) alleged that Bengal's debt is Rs 8 lakh crore rupees, and if a child is born in Bengal, he is born with Rs 77,000 debt per head. The CM came into power with previous debts; on top of that, she has come up with schemes that gave money to people's banks, even when central funds are withheld," the TMC leader added. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)