Mamata Banerjee criticises BJP government in Chhattisgarh for being unable to address Maoist insurgency

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had failed to address the Maoist insurgency problem in Chhattisgarh despite ruling the state for 15 years. She said in Bengal, her government had solved the problem in two years after coming to power.

Speaking at the inauguration of a Jagadhatri Puja in north Kolkata’s Burrabazar area on the day the first phase of Assembly elections was held in Chhattisgarh, Banerjee said that there were Maoist attacks even on the day of elections. “They have been in power for 15 years in the state and they couldn’t address the Naxal problem. We have solved the problem in just two years.”

The first phase of the Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh was held on Monday, November 12. It involved polling in 18 Assembly constituencies – 12 of which were in the Bastar area – a forested region where Maoists are said to be dominant and “active”. Over 16,500 polling personnel were sent by road and another 900 personnel were sent by helicopters to the polling booths to conduct elections. Elections were held in 4,336 polling stations. The next phase of elections in Chhattisgarh is scheduled on November 20 – when elections for the remaining 72 seats will be conducted. Counting for both phases will be held on the same day – December 11.

On Monday, Banerjee also said that the BJP and CPM reached out to people only during the elections. “For us, politics does not mean reaching out to people only during polls. We are with people all through the year, even during the festivals,” she said.

She questioned why people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were being forced to leave Gujarat, a BJP-ruled state for years. “Bengalis are also being forced to leave Assam,” she said.

At Burrabazar-Posta area which is dominated by the trading community, Banerjee also mentioned the negative impact of demonetisation and GST on business and trade. “Business is suffering. People are unhappy,” she said. She added that while her government had supported GST, the Centre had hurriedly implemented it and not in a systematic manner.