Didn’t indulge in such acts after ending Left’s rule in Bengal: Mamata Banerjee on Lenin’s statue incident

”If you (BJP) think that because you have come to power in a state (Tripura), you will destroy statues of Marx, Lenin or Gandhiji, we will not accept it,” said Banerjee. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

The act of pulling down Vladimir Lenin’s statue in Tripura received criticism from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday. ”We came to power (in West Bengal) after 34 years of atrocities by the Left. Our slogan was ‘Bodla noi, bodol chai’ (we want change, not revenge). That is why even after the CPI(M)’s atrocities for so many years, we have not followed the path of revenge. That is not our nature and that is not democracy,” Banerjee was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

”I am against the CPI(M) and Marx or Lenin are not my leaders. I have always protested against the atrocities of the CPI(M). Similarly, I will also not accept the BJP’s atrocities,” added the chief minister.

Two days after the assembly election results were announced, BJP workers and supporters allegedly brought down the communist icon’s statue amid cries of “Bharat Mata ki jai’’. The statue was recently unveiled by senior CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat in South Tripura’s Belonia town.

“Nobody is protesting. But somebody has to bell the cat. I will protest. We will protest…Always remember this,” the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief said at a public review meeting in Bankura.

Condemning the pulling down of the Russian revolutionary’s statue, the chief minister stated that BJP should not be under the delusion that after gaining power in the state, it has got a free hand to destroy the statues of political leaders who differed from its party ideology. ”If you (BJP) think that because you have come to power in a state (Tripura), you will destroy statues of Marx, Lenin or Gandhiji, we will not accept it,” said Banerjee.

”It is not somebody’s job to kill people or pull down the statue of an icon after coming to power in a state. We (TMC) have respect for Gandhiji, Netaji, Vivekananda, Ambedkar and Nazrul. We respect everybody because we believe in communal harmony just like the way we believe in a holistic approach in politics,” added TMC supremo.

The TMC chief was also critical of the media’s role in the manner in which it reported the pulling down of the Lenin’s statue. “I would like to know why are you (media) mum now. Can’t you see now? They (BJP) are up to vandalising everything there (Tripura),” she questioned.

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