NEW DELHI: Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the BJP of disrespecting Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and urged people to protest against what she described as attacks on his legacy.Mamata’s remarks came a day after Netaji’s grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose resigned from the TMC, saying he had become disillusioned with mainstream political parties and saw little difference between the BJP and the Mamata Banerjee-led party.During a Facebook Live session, Mamata said she was “deeply disappointed and heartbroken” by recent remarks made by BJP leaders about Netaji, arguing that any insult to the freedom fighter was an affront to the country as a whole.“I urge the people to come together and protest against the insult that is being meted out to Netaji,” she said.The immediate controversy followed remarks by BJP West Bengal president Samik Bhattacharya, who criticised the Forward Bloc, the party founded by Netaji, and described its members as “goons” while referring to Bose’s political differences with Hindutva ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee. The remarks drew criticism from opposition parties and members of Bose’s family.The BJP, however, has rejected the suggestion that the comments amounted to disrespect towards Netaji, maintaining that they were part of a political disagreement rather than an attack on his legacy.Mamata also used the Facebook Live address to raise several other political issues, including the treatment of young protesters who had demonstrated over alleged examination irregularities. She alleged that members of the Gen-Z movement had been branded “anti-national”, tortured and that their families had faced threats.
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She further claimed that thousands of TMC workers had been jailed in West Bengal following the elections, accusing the BJP of turning the state into a “mega prison”.Mamata also alleged that TMC MPs and MLAs were being pressured to join the BJP or face imprisonment. She questioned whether the police had any role in coercing elected representatives to switch political allegiance.Mamata also raised concerns over the ongoing census exercise in Bengal, alleging that political parties had not been involved in the process and expressing doubts over whether it would be conducted fairly.
