Mamata criticises BJP for 'boasting' about new party office

February 20, 2018 09:47

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed the BJP for ''boasting'' about its new party office in Delhi and said a political party should be ''humble'' in its approach.

''They (BJP) are boasting about inaugurating the world's largest party office. They should be ashamed of it. A political party should be humble in its approach and should not behave arrogantly,'' the Trinamool Congress supremo told a public meeting in Baharampur.

People do not like to see a political party sitting on crores of rupees, the chief minister said adding that political parties should not be proud of money power as democracy and the voice of the people can never be purchased.

With an area of over 1.70 lakh sq.ft, the new BJP headquarters in Delhi was bigger than the office of any other political party in the world, party president Amit Shah had said.

The BJP was quick to hit back at Banerjee, saying it had not built the party office by siphoning off public money in the name of chit funds.

''We have built the party office with our own funds. Our ministers did not siphon off public money in the name of chit funds,'' state BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu said.

West Bengal was rocked by chit fund scams a few years back and the names of certain TMC leaders had also figured in those.

Banerjee also accused the BJP-led central government of helping fraudsters swindle public money and alleged that a conspiracy was hatched in this regard ahead of demonetisation in November 2016.

She mocked the central government for asking people to link Aadhaar to their bank accounts while ''some others are running away with crores of rupees. People live in misery, while they (BJP) build grand offices".

It was ''India's misfortune'' that it was being ruled by a party like the BJP, she said.

Referring to the alleged fraud at the Punjab National Bank, the chief minister said, "If you keep money in banks, it will be taken away. If you dig deeper, you will find out that not only PNB, but any other bank is also being looted. Who gave them (fraudsters) protection -- the government has to answer." -- PTI

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