Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday strongly condemned BJP youth wing leader Yogesh Varshney who has announced Rs 11 lakh reward for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s head.
State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee on Wednesday has demanded that the Centre should take immediate steps to arrest him.
He said, “There have been many attempts on Mamata Banerjee’s life since the 1990s. We have seen the violent politics of the 70s, we have been through 34 years of CPI (M)’s violent rule. Anyone can make big statements sitting in Delhi.”
“Statements like these are against the political culture of the country. I ask the Centre to immediately arrest this man. Lakhs of Trinamool workers are ready to sacrifice their lives for Mamata Banerjee. We do not want the politics of 70s to return,” he added.
Reacting on Varshney’s objectionable comment, TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy raised the issue in Rajya Sabha.
He said, “One activist of the ruling party at the Centre has publicly described our Chief Minister as ‘demon’ and has also announced a reward of Rs 11 lakh for those who will bring the head of Mamata Banerjee. I urge upon all the MPs to request the government to condemn this incident because it appears from this fact that the ruling party at the Centre is trying to unleash a reign of terror in West Bengal in the name of religion and other things.”
“This should be stopped; otherwise the entire country will be engulfed in such tendencies, which would a danger for our parliamentary democracy. I urge upon the government to condemn this incident,” he added.
Another TMC MP, Saugata Roy, while condemning the issue in Lok Sabha, said, “I do not want to raise temperatures further. But, this issue is condemnable because Mamata Banerjee is not only the elected CM of Bengal and a former Member of this House but also one who has come up from the ranks from the grassroots.”
“I would like to ask the government to take all possible actions against such men who create such provocation, especially threatening the beheading of a popular Chief Minister,” he added.
West Bengal BJP secretary said, “We have doubt that he (Varshney) is actually a member of BJP’s youth wing. We are waiting for more details.”
Varshney, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha member, threatened Banerjee over police action on a rally held on Sunday to mark Hanuman Jayanti in Birbhum. He alleged that people were beaten up by the police. “I saw the Birbhum video and saw how mercilessly police roughed up devotees. Then I thought to reward Rs 11 lakhs to anyone who will get me Mamata Banerjee’s head,” he reportedly said.
Mamata is likely to react on the matter around 3 PM during a public meeting in Murshidabad today.