West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while addressing the Matua community on Monday, said she would quit politics if anyone can show her a government like that of the Trinamool Congress in the state which has succeeded in giving free food and healthcare to people. The Matuas form West Bengal's second-largest Scheduled Caste population with most of them concentrated in North and South 24 Parganas.
"I want to ask the Matuas since when are you living in Bengal? Many must be for 50 or 70 years. Some might have come before independence. They are all citizens of this country. Then why do they need new citizenship? Why has BJP then got the CAA laddoo?" asked CM Banerjee.
She went on to say, "As the CM, I say that all Matuas are citizens of this country. Haven't you seen what has happened in Assam? BJP government is there and 22 lakh people have been left out including 18 lakh Bengalis. In Assam, they are doing NRC-NPR. Bengal is the bordering state. I am telling you I will not implement NRC-NPR in Bengal. No one has to be scared. It's our policy decision."
"I will quit politics, rub my nose on the ground if you can show any government like ours who have succeeded in giving free food and health to people," Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said.
Attacking the BJP, she added, "When you stay in TMC, you are black but when you join BJP, you become all clean. BJP is like a washing machine. No one can match their capacity to lie."
During her address to Matuas, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also mentioned the Centre's flagship healthcare scheme Ayushmaan Bharat.
She said, "They [Centre] are taking about Ayushmaan. What Ayushmaan are they doing to farmers? No one knows what's happening in Haryana, Punjab. We are with the farmers. We support their movement. They are making big talks about Ayushmaan scheme but we have given our own health card which is far better than Ayushmaan."
The Chief Minister also warned private hospitals and nursing homes. If the state health card is not accepted, the state has the right to cancel their licenses, she claimed.
"We are all citizens. BJP has created a bill for which I have to give details of our forefathers. If you fail then you will be thrown out of the country. How dare! Those who are daring to throw us out, I want to tell them, we will throw them out democratically," Banerjee said.
Referring to BJP national president JP Nadda having lunch at a farmer's home in Bengal, CM Mamata Banerjee said, "They are doing drama They are drinking mineral water. I don't do that. They bring five-star [hotel] food and then have food there. That's not how life is. For life, you need to get down on the ground. BJP has blood on its hands."
"Where were you when farmers are protesting? You have used lathis, fired bullets, hurled tear gas on them. They have brought such laws with which farmers are losing their right over their land. I support the farmers. These bills have to be withdrawn. For BJP, there will be famine in the country soon. People will die of starvation," she added.
(With inputs from agencies)