West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata BanerjeeChief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that a judicial commission under the supervision of the Supreme Court should look into Gujarat’s Morbi bridge collapse incident that claimed135 lives.
Speaking with mediapersons at the Kolkata airport before leaving for Chennai to meet her Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin, Banerjee said it was a tragic incident and not a political issue and offered her condolences to the bereaved families. However, the CM, at the same time, wondered why central agencies like the CBI and the ED were not arresting those responsible for the tragic incident.
“There should be a judicial inquiry under the supervision of the Supreme Court. Those who have worked to renovate the bridge should be held responsible. Why are the ED, CBI and other agencies not taking action against those responsible for the collapse? The agencies are always after common people,” she said.
Though Banerjee criticised the role of the Gujarat government in the tragic incident, she declined to take any question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I will not make any comment on Prime Minister Modi. Gujarat is his state. It is a tragic incident. I am shocked by the incident. I expressed my condolences to the family members of those who have lost their lives,” said Banerjee.
Banerjee, however, took a dig at the BJP for criticising similar incidents in Bengal. She was invited by Governor La Ganesan to his elder brother’s birthday in Chennai on November 3.
Asked about her meeting with Stalin slated for Wednesday evening, Banerjee hinted that she might discuss political issues and collaboration with regional parties with him. “When two politicians meet, some politics are always discussed,” said Banerjee describing her call on the DMK leader as a “courtesy visit”. “I trust all the regional parties… they are going to play an important role in the 2024 elections,” said the Trinamool Congress supremo, who is likely to meet several top politicians of Tamil Nadu, who are expected to bepresent at Ganesan’s family function.
The chief minister, meanwhile, reiterated that the CAA and NRC would not be implemented in West Bengal. “I have said it earlier that we are not going to implement CAA in West Bengal. We will stick to that position. These are political stunts ahead of the Gujarat elections. For us people’s life is more important than political stunts,” she said.
Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari said, “If this can be implemented in Gujarat, then it can obviously be implemented in West Bengal, too. West Bengal and Gujarat are not different.”
Meanwhile, criticising Mamata for her “soft stance” on Prime Minister Modi, Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury said, “Nowadays, the chief minister is taking a soft stance on the Prime Minister. Basically, she is under tremendous pressure owing to corruption in the state.”
— WITH PTI INPUTS