Backing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’ s assertion that alleged that the Centre is interfering in the internal affairs of West Bengal, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on Saturday said that the mantra of cooperative federalism endorsed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is nothing but a farce. JD-U leader Ajay Alok told ANI that the Centre has been stifling democratically-elected governments in states like Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, making states more resistive against the Centre.
“Mamata Banerjee has been reiterating this issue several times, in fact, we have also been raising this issue several times. The cooperative federalism endorsed by the Prime Minister, there is a difference between speaking and putting the principle into work. You can clearly see how states are getting deprived. West Bengal is a fresh example,” he said. “It is true that the Centre is interfering in the internal affairs of state. Uttarakhand, Arunachal are some examples. Slowly and gradually resistance is growing against the centre,” he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, lashed out Banerjee over her recent outburst against the Centre, saying she should uphold the dignity of her office and not stoop down low for political gain. Addressing a large rally in Kolkata, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief said she would stage protests on the roads of Delhi if they don’t stop interfering in the affairs of West Bengal. Last week, she accused the NDA government at the Centre of “bulldozing” the federal structure and violating Constitution. “It (Centre) is interfering in the functioning of state governments. We will seek the opinion of the President,” she said.
ANI