I won’t take revenge, but certainly bring in change: Mamata Banerjee

While the Union government has decided to send a team to review implementation of mid-day meal scheme in West Bengal, five central teams will visit some districts after allegations of corruption surfaced against the implementation of PMAY

Stepping up her attacks against the Bharatiya Janata Pary-ruled Centre, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she won’t take revenge, but certainly bring a change, in the wake of the raids by central agencies in the state over various alleged graft cases.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. (ANI Photo)

She also came out in support of Trinamool Congress legislator and former minister Zakir Hossain, from whose residence ₹11 crore was seized during an Income Tax raid last week.

“Zakir is a beedi industrialist. If he has done anything wrong, you may take legal actions. But [he is being harassed] just because he is a TMC leader. He has thousands of workers who need to be paid wages in cash as many do not have bank accounts,” Banerjee said during a government programme in Murshidabad district.

With the ruling TMC repeatedly coming under attack from the opposition BJP over allegations of corruption and multi-crore scams, the TMC chief also urged party leaders to return any money, if taken, to the people.

“I would urge TMC workers not to give in to greed. One or two persons may be bad, but not all are so. If someone has done anything wrong, go to the people and ask for forgiveness. If anyone has taken any money, return it. People will forgive you if you ask for it repeatedly,” Banerjee said.

She attacked the Centre for sending central teams to the state to review the implementation of government schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), PM-Poshan and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).

While the Union government has decided to send a team to review implementation of mid-day meal scheme in West Bengal, five central teams will visit some districts after allegations of corruption surfaced against the implementation of PMAY.

“In West Bengal, even if a termite bites a BJP leader or a firefly enters a BJP leader’s house, a central team comes to probe. The NIA lands here if a fire cracker is burst. Can you imagine the way we are being harassed? I won’t take revenge. But I will certainly bring in change,” she said.

Ahead of the 2011 elections, in which the TMC managed to overthrow the 34-year-old Left regime, Banerjee had raised the slogan ‘Bodla noy, Bodol chai’ (We don’t want revenge, we want change).

Several MPs and MLAs of the ruling TMC had to recently face the ire of irate villagers when they went to interact with people as part of the party’s massive outreach program ahead of the crucial panchayat polls due this year.

“You (people) should surely come up with their grievances and tell the TMC leaders when they visit the villages,” she said.

Meanwhile, the BJP slammed the CM’s statement, and state party leader Rahul Sinha said, “The TMC came to power with the slogan, but betrayed the people of Bengal by doing vindictive politics. The CM is asking the thieves to return the money they looted from people, instead of arresting the culprits. This shows that the accused persons enjoy the CM’s patronage. Central teams coming to the state to probe allegations of corruption is a shame for the state.”

The chief minister on Monday inaugurated projects worth more than ₹700 crores and laid the foundation stones for several others worth ₹79 crore.