Kolkata, Aug 24 (IANS) Former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed current Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for allegedly issuing a threat to her while addressing a news conference earlier in the day. In a post on X, Banerjee drew the attention of the President and Chief Justice of India.
“A NEW LOW in Indian politics! @SuvenduWB, while seated in a government office, has brazenly THREATENED me, publicly declaring that he will ensure I cannot even leave my home. I call upon the Hon’ble President of India, the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, and the people of India: Is this the India envisioned by our Constitution?” Banerjee asked.
The former Chief Minister said a sitting Chief Minister, sworn to uphold the Constitution, openly threatened to curtail the freedom of the Chairperson of the principal opposition party, @AITCofficial. “The words were unambiguous: ‘I will ensure you cannot leave the house,’” she said.
Banerjee further questioned what Adhikari meant by making such a statement. “What exactly does that mean? House arrest? Intimidation? Political persecution? Who gave you the authority to decide who gets to move freely in a constitutional democracy? Perhaps he is confusing me with those known to bow before authoritarianism. That, I must say, is a grave misreading,” she said.
She claimed it was nothing but an attempt to silence the voice of the Opposition.
“This is bigger than Mamata Banerjee. This is about the kind of India @BJP4India wants to create – where political opponents are threatened, dissent is punished, and constitutional rights become privileges granted by those in power. INDIA IS WITNESSING A DANGEROUS AUTHORITARIAN MOMENT,” Banerjee said.
The Trinamool Congress supremo concluded: “And history offers one enduring lesson: power may intimidate for a while, but arrogance eventually answers to the people. Their arrogance is loud. Their desperation is louder. Their days are numbered.”
–IANS
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