Kolkata, Nov. 3 -- The Mamata All India Trinamool Congress (MAITC) on Monday slammed BJP Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee over his remarks on party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, accusing him of encouraging political intimidation and mob violence.
Mukherjee was heard saying that Abhishek could be mob-lynched any day over his conduct, adding, "We won't do anything, but we can't say if anything happens to him. Mob might get him killed." Reacting to the remarks, MAITC said a sitting minister was openly threatening an individual's life and provoking people to take the law into their own hands.
In a social media post, the party questioned the minister's apparent contradiction, pointing out that while he claimed the BJP did not encourage such a culture, he was seemingly legitimising mob violence by suggesting that the government could not be held accountable if people took the law into their own hands.
"This is not leadership. This is a dangerous abuse of power and a blatant attempt to normalise political intimidation and lawlessness," the post stated.
The party also criticised the BJP leadership over what it described as a political culture in which threats, provocation and violence were becoming the language of governance. It said Mukherjee's remarks reinforced the concerns raised by Abhishek Banerjee and exposed the BJP's response to political criticism.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.