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Mamata Banerjee says Shinzo Abe had ‘special connection’ with Bengal; calls assassination 'dastardly'
In a statement, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee referred to the former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe as the “bulwark in Asia”. She added that the eastern state have “excellent trade, industrial as well as cultural relations with Japan”.
West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) boss Mamata Banerjee on Saturday expressed shock at the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the day before. Taking to Twitter, Mamata said Abe personified the “relational depth” between Bengal and Japan.
“I am deeply shocked by the tragic demise of the former PM of Japan, Shinzo Abe. His dastardly assassination brings us immense pain. He not only cemented the relation between India and Japan but also had a special connection with Bengal. May the noble soul rest in peace,” the chief minister wrote on the micro-blogging site.
In the statement, referring to Abe as the “bulwark in Asia”, Mamata noted that Bengal have excellent trade, industrial as well as cultural relations with Japan. “Japanese agencies like JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) have moorings in our state, as do many of your private corporate players," she added.
The Bengal CM offered her “profound” condolences to the relatives, friends and “countless admirers” of Abe as well as the citizens of Japan.
Mamata's statement comes after the TMC's mouthpiece on Saturday connected Abe's assassination with the India's new Agnipath recruitment scheme for defence forces. Headlined as “Shinzor khune Agnipather chaya (Agnipath's shadow in Shinzo's killing)”, the article said that the assassination will boost the recruitment policy because the killer in the incident had served in the Japanese navy under contract without a pension.
Abe, who was Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister, was gunned down while he was delivering a speech during an election campaign in Nara city in western part of the country on Friday. Two bullets had hit Abe, with one perforating the main artery and causing massive blood loss. Doctors at the Nara Medical University attempted to resuscitate the former PM but he was in a state of cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at 5.30pm (local time).
The attacker, Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, however, told police he wanted to attack the leader of a religious group that he claimed had defrauded his mother. Abe was attacked as Tetsuya thought the former PM had promoted this group within Japan. Tetsuya was captured shortly after he fired the shots at Abe using a self-made gun, but he did not try to flee the crime scene.
Meanwhile, Nara prefecture police chief, Tomoaki Onizuka told AFP on Saturday that there were “undeniable” flaws in the security cover provided to Abe. The top cop added that a thorough investigation would be conducted to clarify what happened but did not offer any specific information pertaining to the loopholes in Abe's security plan.
