BJP hits back at Mamata Banerjee over 'super emergency' remark

The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Sunday hit back at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her remark alleging there was a state of "super emergency" in the country.

Speaking to ANI, BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli advised Banerjee to "introspect" and said that it is actually the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief who is imposing "super emergency" in West Bengal and sending people to jail just for hailing Lord Ram.

"Mamata Banerjee should introspect. The super emergency is the thing imposed by her. If anybody chants 'Jai Shri Ram', that person is sent to custody. She must see what she has done to Bengal. People want peace and prosperity there," Kohli told ANI here.

Kohli's response came on the heels of Banerjee calling upon people to do everything it takes to "protect rights and freedoms" guaranteed by the Constitution in the era of "super emergency".

"On International Day of Democracy today, let us once again pledge to safeguard the constitutional values our country was founded on. In this era of 'Super Emergency', we must do all it takes to protect the rights and freedoms that our Constitution guarantees," she tweeted earlier today.

Banerjee-led TMC and the BJP have locked horns on several issues including the arrest of former Kolkata commissioner Rajeev Kumar in Saradha Chit Fund scam, cut money and the alleged attacks on BJP leaders in the state.

Mamata has been highly critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and has on several occasions accused it of taking away the autonomy of constitutional institutions and muzzling dissent.

In May, during Lok Sabha election campaign, Banerjee said she felt "like giving one tight slap of democracy" to Modi.