Mamata Banerjee government clone of previous Left Front regime: Nirmala Sitharaman

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday accused the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal of being a “clone” of the previous Left Front regime, and alleged that she was following the same “repressive” measures adopted by her predecessors.

“The amount of violence she had to go through during her Youth Congress days and from the Communists, she is making everyone suffer the same,” Sitharaman said.

The Defence Minister further question that, “is this the politics you want to do? Is this parivartan (change) ?”

Likening her with Goddess Durga, she said Banerjee fought the “demons” of the 34-year-long Left Front government in the state.

“The TMC rule in the state is a clone of the previous Communist regime,” she said, questioning whether the people of the state “voted for such poor cloning”.

Sitharaman talked about how the TMC supremo accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being “suit boot ki sarkar wooing industry bigwigs“, and said how Banerjee herself was seen asking for investments from them with “folded hands”.

Alleging that Banerjee was not “cooperating” with the country’s own government, she asked, “Is the central government of our own or of some other country?”

Criticising the chief minister over the Balakot air strike and for asking ‘proof’ and ‘details’ of the strike, she asked her: “Are you with India, nationalist Indians, or are you helping our enemies?”

She further alleged that the TMC is “helping Pakistan by questioning India’s strike on terror camps at Balakot“.

She also claimed that the TMC had not allowed opposition party candidates to file nominations in the 2018 panchayat polls in the state.