We keep Dalits, Tribals close to our hearts: Mamata

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that people in the state are living in harmony and incidents like the lynching of a Dalit man by a group of men belonging to the upper caste Patel community for attending a garba event in Gujarat never happens in Bengal.

“A party has come to power at the Centre some years back with saffron flags and their only agenda is to create unrest and disrupt communal harmony across the country. They (saffron party) are creating differences among tribals and it is during their regime that the tribals are oppressed the most. A Dalit was lynched when he went to witness a Dandiya dance in Gujarat. Incidents like this happen in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and even in parts of Bihar. But, in West Bengal, we keep Dalits and tribals close to our hearts. We protect them. That is the culture of Bengal,” Banerjee said while addressing a rally in Jhargram, a former Maoist stronghold.

“Land belonging to the tribals is being taken away indiscriminately in the name of amendment of laws. This has recently happened in Jharkhand,” she alleged adding, “We are trying to resist these moves.” Banerjee also held the Centre responsible for the trouble in Darjeeling Hills.

“There was complete peace in Darjeeling. But, it was disturbed after instigation from Delhi. We are urging people not pay any heed to rumours and warning people against rumour-mongering. The unrest is now over in Darjeeling and peace has again returned. We will ensure it remains that way,” the chief minister said.