Undeclared emergency in Mamata's Bengal: BJP

Kolkata, June 26: Charging the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal with being "dictatorial", the BJP on Friday said there was "undeclared emergency" in the state under the Trinamool Congress rule.

Addressing a rally here to mark the 40th anniversary of the Emergency, union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Prakash Javadekar warned the Trinamool that if it continues to walk the way of stifling democracy then it will be disposed off by the people.

"There is an undeclared emergency in Bengal. There is violence, the opposition is not allowed to stand and there are attacks on it. The message learnt from Emergency is whenever power gets into the head of a leader, he or she is destroyed," said Javadekar, who is the environment and forest minister.

The minister said if the Trinamool continues its tyrannical ways then much like the Congress, it too would be wiped out in the next polls.

"People have taught the Congress, which killed democracy by imposing emergency, a lesson that the party has disappeared from most parts of the country.

"I want to tell the Trinamool that you are not so big. Indira Gandhi, who was the prime minister, but when power went into her head and starting committing atrocities, the people disposed her off.

"Whoever works against democracy, people never forgive them. It happened with Indira Gandhi, it happened with the Congress. If you (Trinamool) continue to walk the current way you will also be destroyed. People will teach you the lesson. Ballot is always powerful than the bullet," said Javadekar.

Speaking on the occasion, BJP national secretary and West Bengal in-charge Siddharth Nath Singh said Banerjee's "dictatorial regime" was killing democracy in Bengal.

"Much like Indira Gandhi killed democracy in India, Mamata's dictatorial regime is killing democracy in Bengal.

"Whoever raises the voice against her tyrannical ways, he or she is put in jail. It is the lust for power that is driving the Trinamool to act like a dictator," he said.

"We want to tell them that whatever happened 40 years back will not recur in Bengal. The people of Bengal will not tolerate any kind of attack on democracy," added Singh.

IANS