BJP CMs, Union ministers slam Mamata for ‘if Bengal is set on fire’ remark'

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's statement on if Bengal is set on fire, Assam, north-east, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Delhi will also be affected, has triggered a backlash from other BJP chief ministers and leaders.

Mamata had made this controversial statement while addressing a Trinamool Congress (TMC) students' wing rally in Kolkata on Wednesday (August 28). This strong warning to BJP-ruled states came after the violent protests in Kolkata during the 12-hour bandh on Wednesday.

The first one to react was Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who posted in Hindi the same evening, “Didi, how dare you threaten Assam? Don’t show us red eyes. Don’t even try to burn India with your politics of failure. It does not befit you to speak divisive language.”

'Unbecoming of political leader'

Even as the Assam CM hit out at her, the chief minister of Manipur, a state that has seen ethnic clashes for several months, also took to X to register his protest, “How dare Didi threaten the Northeast? I condemn such irresponsible remarks in the strongest terms. She must publicly apologise to the Northeast and the rest of the nation. Mamata ji must immediately stop inciting violence and hatred with divisive politics. It is highly unbecoming of a political leader to issue threats of violence on a public platform.”

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi too slammed his West Bengal counterpart for allegedly making "negative" and "hateful" comments on the coastal state.

"Odisha is a peaceful state and its people are responsible...who has given you the authority to make negative, divisive, and insensitive remarks on Odisha? The people of Odisha will not accept such a hateful, negative remark and insensitive attitude towards our state," Majhi said on X on Wednesday night.

"Without giving justice to the victim of the heinous crime, the vindictive comments you are making are dangerous for the country. I urge you to refrain from making this kind of statement and remain calm,” Majhi said on the microblogging site.

Safety of women

“Mamata Banerjee, being a woman, has failed to protect women in her state. Instead of giving priority to the safety of women, today she is trying to divide the country. This effort will never be fulfilled, the people will give a befitting reply," Majhi added.

Union minister and Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar took the opportunity to demand for Mamata’s resignation.

He wrote on X, “CM Mamata Banerjee shamelessly makes anti-national remarks today. This isn’t the voice of someone holding a constitutional position; it’s the voice of an anti-national. Her statement is a clear attempt to threaten, incite violence, and sow hatred among the people. She no longer deserves to hold such an important position. Mamata Banerjee must resign immediately.”

Not justice but revenge

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla posted on X, "140 crore Indians are demanding justice for the daughter of West Bengal... Mamata Banerjee's priority is not justice but revenge. When a CM says Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Northeast and Odisha will burn, I want to ask if Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, AAP or Gaurav Gogoi support this statement... Are the people who are demanding justice causing unrest? It is an insult to the protesters and doctors when Mamata Banerjee says that demanding justice is like causing unrest... She is making anti-Constitutional statements and Rahul Gandhi, who roams around with a copy of the Constitution, does not speak a word on it..."

Union ministers also condemned her statement. Union minister Piyush Goyal wrote on the social media platform X, “A call to violence by an elected chief minister is the greatest betrayal of the people’s mandate.

While Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan responded on X, “Mamata Didi, your frustration is justified. After all, your government and police are being exposed every day in the Kolkata rape-murder case.”

“You have made Bengal a bastion of anarchy, violence, and bad governance. But unlike Bengal, in BJP-ruled states, goons, anarchist elements, and criminals are not given the protection of love, the law’s bulldozer is used on them,” he added.

A cornered Mamata

Meanwhile, Amit Malviya, BJP’s IT Cell head tweeted, “A cornered Mamata Banerjee has declared war on the people of West Bengal, who are holding her to account in the brutal rape and murder of a young lady doctor RG Kar Medical College & Hospital. The deceased could have been our sister or daughter but Mamata wants more blood.”