KOLKATA — West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that her party, Trinamool Congress, will support the Centre-proposed Women’s Reservation (Amendment) Bill, provided nothing else, particularly delimitation provisions, is included with it.
“We will be supporting the Women’s Reservation (Amendment) Bill. But do not try to push anything else with that. We will not allow that to happen,” the Chief Minister said while addressing a campaign rally at Dum Dum in North 24 Parganas district amid the crucial two-phase assembly polls in West Bengal later this month.
Although she did not specify what she meant by “anything else”, her clear indication pointed to the delimitation provision that the Centre intends to bring with the Bill.
While addressing a similar campaign rally at Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar district on Thursday, she had claimed that the delimitation provisions linked to the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill were nothing but a ploy to divide West Bengal again.
She said, “Why did they have to bring the delimitation provisions with the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill? This is yet another ploy to divide West Bengal. This is also another ploy to delete names from the voters’ list further in the future and also to introduce the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state.”
On Friday, the Chief Minister also launched a scathing attack against the Union Government over raids at multiple locations in and around Kolkata, including the residences and offices of two Trinamool Congress leaders, one of them a party candidate and another a proposer in her nomination paper, by Income Tax Department and Enforcement Directorate officials.
She alleged, “They are themselves coming to West Bengal with black money before the elections, and they are conducting raids and search operations at the residences of my party candidates and party offices. They tried to search my chartered flight. They are even examining my security personnel. They are shameless cowards. They do not have the guts to take us on politically, and hence they are resorting to such things.”
She also appealed to the central investigating agencies to operate impartially in the national interest, rather than blindly following the instructions of a particular political party.
“We do not have any enmity with you. But I request you to operate impartially,” she said.
The Chief Minister further cautioned her party’s councillors in Kolkata to move cautiously, as there is a high risk of their arrest at any time. – -IANS
