Why central team not sent to Manipur, says Mamata at Kolkata rally

The TMC boss wondered why the Centre never bothered to send central teams to Manipur, where ethnic strife has claimed over 160 lives so far.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

KOLKATA: Continuing her tirade against the Centre over the Manipur crisis, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the BJP’s ‘Beti Bachao’ scheme has now turned into ‘Beti Jalao’ (Burn our daughters).

The TMC boss wondered why the Centre never bothered to send central teams to Manipur, where ethnic strife has claimed over 160 lives so far.

“We want to express our solidarity with Manipur. The BJP had sent so many central teams to Bengal (after the panchayat polls), why no central team was sent to the northeastern state?” she questioned.

Addressing the party’s annual Martyrs’ Day rally here, Banerjee expressed her solidarity with the newly formed opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A and asserted that their mission is to remove the saffron camp from power.

She warned that the return of the BJP government would signal the demise of democracy.

The TMC boss gave a clarion call to oust the BJP and refuted claims of personal ambitions by saying, “We have no other demand, neither we want any chair except ousting BJP from the Centre in 2024.”

“I am happy that these 26 opposition parties have come together. We will organise protests against the Centre under the banner of the opposition alliance — I.N.D.I.A. The alliance will fight and TMC will stand by it like a soldier,” she said.

Banerjee said if the BJP returns to power for the third consecutive time at the Centre, “Democracy will cease to exist in the country.”