Free Press Journal : Feb 28, 2020, 11:49 AM
Kolkata: Two days after US President Donald Trump left the country after his visit and meeting with Prime Minister Narenda Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s official Facebook page now bears a post on the same, adding a mention of the ongoing violence in Delhi.The post written in both Bengali and English reads, “He came, he spoke and he left. My Motherland kept on burning. Disturbed, worried, troubled. The heart kept crying. Death toll kept mounting.”The words ‘My Motherland has been put in bold letters.North-East Delhi is reeling under riots which have killed 22 people and injured around 200 people, including security personnel. Nation-wide protests have been taking place over the BJP led Centre’s decision to introduce the Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA), National Register of Citizenship(NRC) and National Population Register(NPR). Protests have turned violent in North-East Delhi which have prompted the Delhi High Court to step in.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi too has spoken out against the violence, calling it a conspiracy by the BJP government. BJP leaders including Union Minister of State for environment Babul Supriyo has said the protests were orchestrated to coincide with US President Trump’s visit.Mamata who is currently in Odisha ahead of the Eastern Zonal Council (EZC) meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on February 28th, had spoken out about the protests before leaving for Bhubaneshwar on Tuesday.The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said that she was deeply disturbed and concerned about the ongoing situation and had appealed for peace.The EZC meeting focuses on improving, cooperation and coordination among states of West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand. In the wake of the current situation in Delhi, speculation is rife about Mamata’s discussion with Shah.Mamata has been a vocal critic of the CAA, NRC and NPR from the very beginning but has been cautious about speaking out on the sensitive issue of the riots.