Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today said on her “Save Democracy” dharna dais that she had always tried to use her creativity to raise funds for her party. And that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was jealous of it.
“We want electoral reforms and there is need for money for the party. I have not taken any lessons from anyone, but I can write, play songs, paint, but Modiji usse bhi jealous ho gaya (Narendra Modi is jealous of that too,” she said.
She said she had written 87 books. At the recent inauguration of the Kolkata International Book Fair, Banerjee had announced that she would make it a record of publishing 100 books soon. She has earlier said on several occasions that the money she gets from the royalty of the books is her sole earning. She said she can play songs and these were the various ways in which she had tried to raise funds for her party.
“I had done some paintings and sold them for my party fund. The CBI is sending letter to the corporation [Kolkata Municipal Corporation], asking if we have paid taxes for organising the exhibition. Why? Is it the job of the CBI?” she asked.
In her all-out attack on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Banerjee said that the central agency was trying to get information on her paintings, exhibition etc. from all quarters. “Sometimes there can be some tax discounts from the municipal bodies too. What is there to find out? These are deliberate attempts to scare and intimidate,” she said.
“Now they may say why do you eat, wear hawai chappal (sandals), why are you delivering a speech, you will be arrested,” Banerjee thundered. She said it was unfortunate that even a 70-year-old man who worked at her place for 30 years had been called to be questioned by the CBI.
“You can kill me, send me to jail. Can you do anything more?” she dared the Central government and the central investigating agency, whom she alleged were working together to scare and intimidate her and the Bengal government.
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