Mamata slams UP govt for detaining Priyanka

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday criticised the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh for temporarily detaining Priyanka Gandhi Vadra when she was on her way to the Umbhi village in Sonbhadra district in Uttar Pradesh where 10 tribal people were killed over a land dispute on Wednesday.

Referring to the Uttar Pradesh Police’s argument that Priyanka was stopped from going to the village because Section 144 was imposed there, Mamata said that Priyanka wanted to go there only with three other people which is allowed under the preventive measure.

She also said that the Bengal government allowed delegations of other parties at Bhatpara in North 24 Paraganas district, which recently witnessed several incidents of violence.

“What Priyanka had done is that only four of them wanted to go there (Umbhi village). Three and four people are always allowed. We have allowed it in Bhatpara. In UP no one is allowed,” Mamata said while speaking to reporters at Central Kolkata after reviewing the preparations for TMC’s mega annual Martyr’s Day rally, which will be held on Sunday.

Mamata also criticised the Uttar Pradesh government over alleged deterioration of law and order and encounters.

“The law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh is very bad. I have heard that more than 1,100 encounters have taken place in Uttar Pradesh. People have been lynched there,” she said.

Earlier in the day, the chief minister tweeted that Home Minister Amit Shah called her to inform about the appointment of Jagdeep Dhankhar, Supreme Court lawyer and a former MP as the new Governor of West Bengal.

“Hon’ble Home Minister just now talked to me about appointment of new Governor of West Bengal. I informed him that I have already welcomed the new Governor,” Mamata tweeted.

Dhankhar will replace Keshari Nath Tripathi whose tenure as the West Bengal Governor comes to an end on July 23.