‘How can Mamata Banerjee oppose the CAA? It is not in her domain.’
In a noisy build-up to the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, state BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar accuses the state’s Trinamool Congress-led government of alleged misappropriation of public funds and calls Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee the “queenpin” of an institutionalised system of embezzlement of public funds. He says he is focused on taking the BJP’s Lok Sabha tally in the state to 35 from the current 18. Excerpts from the interview:
Q: Is corruption going to be an election issue during Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal?
A: I have no hesitation in saying that Mamata Banerjee’s claim of being honest is a sham. Her government in West Bengal is the most corrupt and unprincipled in the country. We have already started demanding answers from the government over financial wrongdoings pointed out in 2021 report of the state CAG over utilisation of public funds. The state government has no answers why it has not given utilisation certificates after using Rs 2 lakh crore funds in departments of school education, rural development and urban development. As the state home minister, Mamata Banerjee also has to give details of how she used Rs 1,169 crore out of the total spending of Rs 3,400 crore on account of the contingency fund. No bills for this expenditure have been submitted. There is also a cloud over the 160 personal deposits or ledgers created by the government where Rs 5,000 crore of public money is lying unutilised. Mamata Banerjee needs to tell where all the money has gone. Has it gone to her relatives and friends?
Q: How do you see the impact of Rahul Gandhi’s yatra on the performance of I.N.D.I Alliance in Lok Sabha elections?
A: As far as West Bengal is concerned, Rahul Gandhi’s visit is a failure. There are going to be no significant gains for the Congress or its allies from his visit because he is touching West Bengal for the sake of it, he is not touring the entire state. For Rahul Gandhi I have just one message, “Kuchh din to bitao Bangal mein (stay in Bengal for a few days at least)”. Only after he spends a few days in the state will he understand the state of democracy in the state. The Congress is confined to some districts like Murshidabad, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur and Purulia—that is the reason why Gandhi is not covering the entire state under his padyatra.
Q: What is your expectation on the framing of rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act?
A: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured us that the CAA will come into force before the Lok Sabha elections and I have full faith in him. For me the implementation of the CAA is just a matter of a few weeks.
Q: Why is Mamata Banerjee opposed to CAA?
A: How can Mamata Banerjee oppose the CAA? It is not in her domain as it is the Central government that is empowered to decide who will be a citizen of the country. The CM has been changing her stand on CAA over the years. Earlier before the 2021 Assembly elections, she used to say
that she would not allow the implementation of CAA-National Register of Citizens (NRC). After realising that she does not have any say on CAA, she has changed her stand and now claims that she will not allow NRC. CAA is a law of the entire nation as refugees are spread across all states. Even Gandhiji had said that if ever Hindus living in Pakistan face any problems then India cannot just a blind eye.
Q: How many Lok Sabha seats is the BJP targeting to win?
A: We are focused on taking the BJP tally in West Bengal to 35. Let’s see, hopefully we will reach that.