Mamata demands Shah's resignation over comments in Birbhum rally last week

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday demanded that Amit Shah resign as the Union home minister over his comments at a political rally at Suri in Birbhum district.

Last week, at a rally, Shah had said that if BJP wins in 35 out of 42 seats in the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, then the Trinamool Congress government will collapse even before 2025.

"How can he say this as the Union home minister? This means that the home minister is conspiring to bring down an elected state government. As a Union home minister, he has taken the oath to protect the Indian constitution. So, he can never say that if BJP gets 35 seats in Lok Sabha elections, the current state government will collapse before the end of its tenure. So, we are demanding his resignation as the Union home minister," the chief minister said while addressing the media persons here.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister also expressed doubts about the "real story" behind the terrorist attack at Pulwama in Jammu & Kashmir in February 2019 in which as many as 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) police personnel were killed. "My question is whether a single central investigation team went to Pulwama after that incident. We also demand a proper inquiry into the matter as well," the chief minister said.

She also alleged the Union government is sending central field inspection teams to West Bengal one after another just to stop the development projects undertaken by the state government. "As it is, the Union government has stopped payment of all dues to the state government under different centrally sponsored schemes. Now they have started adopting the strategy of sending the central inspection teams," the chief minister said.

Speaking on the occasion, she also said that the arrest of Trinamool Congress MLAs in connection with the multi-crore scam in recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal is a ploy to reduce the strength of her party within the Assembly.

"The central agencies are only targetting our MLAs. They are not targetting any of the BJP legislators. But they will not be successful in this ploy, since our numerical strength in the Assembly is so high," the chief minister said.

Speaking on the occasion, Mamata Banerjee once again gave a call to all non-BJP parties to get united before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "If the Opposition gets united, BJP will not be able to regain power in general elections," she said.