NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday launched a broadside against West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of blocking development and failing to ensure women’s safety in the state.Addressing a gathering, Gupta questioned the use of central funds, saying, “I was thinking, Didi is in Bengal, and Bhaiya was in Delhi. Do you remember? Bhaiya has been chased away. Whose turn is it now? Both were alike… They want their name on everything… It is the public’s money; it should be used for the public good. Who are you to stop it unnecessarily?… We send lakhs of crores of rupees for Bengal’s development. Is it reaching the poor?”She added, “The people of Bengal have not been able to access development. Where has all the money gone?… I’m fully confident that Bhaiya is gone. Whose turn is it now? It is Didi’s turn,” as quoted by ANI.Gupta also criticised the TMC government of failing to address women’s safety and blocking central schemes, citing incidents such as the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital.She said, “Bengal also has the right to live with dignity… We have never seen such dire conditions anywhere. In any state of the country where there is a woman chief minister, and yet the daughters there are not safe, and the dignity of the women there is not valued, this would not happen anywhere in the country, in the world, but on the soil of Bengal.”Speaking to the media, she further alleged that Mamata Banerjee is hiding behind infiltrators to suppress public opinion. “The end of the politics of terrorism, hooliganism and greed is coming. These elections will bring change in Bengal… Mamata Banerjee can hide behind infiltrators, but she cannot suppress the public’s voice,” Gupta said.The remarks come amid intensifying political activity in West Bengal ahead of elections, with leaders from various parties stepping up their campaigns. Earlier, on February 21, Mamata Banerjee had criticised the Centre, alleging that Bengali migrant workers were being targeted in other states for speaking Bangla.
