Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday tore into the BJP and the saffron regime for marking the 50th year of the imposition of Emergency on June 25 as Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas (Constitution Murder Day), objecting to the "choice of words".
The chief minister also slammed the Centre's attempts to have June 20 observed as statehood day for Bengal when the state officially celebrates it on the Bengali New Year's Day.
Mamata, in an hour-long news meet at Nabanna, said chief secretary Manoj Pant received a letter from the Union ministry of culture stating the nationwide observance of June 25 according to the Union home ministry.
"I object to the very choice of words — “murder of the Constitution” — which strikes at the foundation of our democratic system, our rights and everything we stand for. How can they say that our beloved, most respected Constitution was murdered? The mother of the thief shouts the loudest," said Mamata.
"I am aware that the people of India did not accept the Emergency. I, too, was in the Congress then, in youth politics. If they named it the “Emergency Hatya Diwas”, it would have been different. But calling it “Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas”... I condemn the idea," she added.
"You (the BJP) do not believe in democracy, secularism, media neutrality, civil rights, or the rights of the Opposition. Therefore, you have no moral right to observe this...," Mamata said.
The TMC chief questioned the BJP's moral right to be critical of the Emergency and the alleged murder of democracy when, according to her, democracy gets killed daily under the saffron regime.
"They are talking about a 'renewed commitment to democratic values and constitutional morality;. What morality are they speaking of? Do we truly have democracy in India today? By constitutional standards, every day could be observed as Murder of Democracy Day in this country," she said. "Your language and actions show that you are continuously disregarding the Constitution. You are forcefully imposing your fabricated religious ideologies on people.... You have bulldozed the economy and democracy of every state."
"You toppled duly elected governments in Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and (attempted it in) Jharkhand. You even approached the court seeking President’s rule in Bengal...," she said.
She tore into the saffron ecosystem for the state of press freedom, the alleged misuse of central probe agencies, the allegedly compromised Election Commission of India, and the "step-motherly" treatment to Bengal and other non-NDA states.
"You are bulldozing democracy, federalism and rendering states economically paralysed. You carried out demonetisation forcibly, crushed decentralisation of power and trampled all over state governments," she said.
"They distort history and alter school syllabi. They change names.... Do you think all Indians support you? You didn’t even secure a single-party majority...," added Mamata.
She questioned the absence of a special session on the Pahalgam terror attack and the retaliatory Operation Sindoor and obliquely blamed the Centre's neglect for the Ahmedabad plane crash.
She then took up the June 20 "statehood day" issue. "You are using governors for political ends," she said, referring to the saffron camp's insistence on June 20, 1947, being Bengal's statehood day.
On June 20, 1947, East Bengal legislators voted by 106 votes to 35 against Partition, while those of West Bengal voted by 58 votes to 21 in its favour. Viceroy Lord Mountbatten’s plans had provided for Partition if any one side wanted it. The freedom fighters’ dream of a united Bengal was dashed that day.
"Why should we accept that date? Will you decide everything for us?" she asked.
