West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is known for speaking outwardly against the Centre, hit out at the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) once again, saying that the party is “bulldozing the country's federal structure".
Further, the West Bengal CM said that the Centre is making “attempts to interfere” in several matters, calling the BJP to rule worse than the rule “under dictators such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin or Benito Mussolini", according to PTI reports.
Banerjee also said that the central agencies should be given more autonomy if the democracy in India is to be protected. Making these remarks during a press conference, Mamata Banerjee called the BJP-led central government “Tughlaqi rule”.
While speaking to reports, Mamata Banerjee said, “The BJP-led central government is using the central agencies to interfere in the state affairs. It is bulldozing the federal structure of the country. There is a Tughlaqi rule in force.”
Without taking any names, the TMC leader said that the "agencies cannot work because there is no autonomy. The autonomy lay in the hands of two persons and the BJP. Such political interference was not prevalent during the time of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin or Benito Mussolini".
Earlier, Banerjee has accused the central government of using central agencies like CBI, Enforcement Directorate and the NCB to harass their opponents, including workers from the Trinamool Congress. Thus, she demanded that these agencies should be autonomous.
This comes as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating several cases in West Bengal linked to the TMC including those of rape, smuggling, violence and assault, most of them being from the post-poll violence that erupted in the state.
"I want the central government agencies to be given autonomy so that they can work impartially. There should not be any political vendetta. Let the government provide the agency employees with salary and nothing else. I am the first person to raise the issue... this has to be done if we want to save democracy in India," Banerjee said, as per PTI reports.
Recently, the West Bengal CM has also announced that she will not be reducing the VAT on petrol and diesel in the state, a move which is being opted for by many states. She also accused the Centre of using the excise duty to “earn crores” in revenue.
(With PTI inputs)
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