Country going through 'super Emergency': Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: Lashing out at the BJP rule at the Centre, Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday claimed that the country reeled from a “super Emergency” in the past five years.

She also called for learning “lessons” and “fight” to protect the federal bodies before raising her voice against “discrimination” based on colour complexion.

In the morning, the West Bengal chief minister tweeted, “Today is the anniversary of the #Emergency declared in 1975. For the last five years, the country went through a ‘Super Emergency’. We must learn our lessons from history and fight to safeguard the democratic institutions in the country.”

She later added, “Today is #WorldVitiligoDay. We must pledge not to discriminate against anyone on the basis of skin colour.”

Slamming Ms Banerjee, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh wondered how she could speak on Emergency when the Opposition parties are not allowed to hold their programmes in the state.

He alleged, “What Emergency is, is known to Ms Banerjee very well because when the Emergency was imposed she was in the Congress. So she learnt it from the same school. Today she has enforced Emergency in Bengal. The Opposition parties have the permission neither to say anything against her nor to hold their events in the state.”

The BJP MP of Midnapore claimed, “There is not even any permission to write anything on Facebook. If anyone does it, he is sent to jail. Fire is opened on him. If anyone has to see what Emergency is, he should come to Bengal to feel it. Should there be a restriction on speech or holding any programme or movement?”

He added, “For the last five years, I have been seeing MPs getting calls. Those who voted are made to stand outside. There is no embargo in the country on saying anything against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But those who have imposed Emergency in their own states blame us only.”

Switch off power supply for half hour every day, says West Bengal government

In order to stop wastage of electricity during the monsoon season, the West Bengal government Tuesday requested the people of the state to switch off power supply for at least half-an-hour every day.

The state government has taken up a programme “save energy, save earth and environment”, power minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay said after a meeting with chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

“Monsoon is nearing and to ensure that the power generation, transmission and distribution are not hampered we held a long meeting today. We have taken up a programme ‘Save Energy, Save Earth and Environment’.

“We will not be forcing anybody but will be requesting the consumers to switch off the power supply for 30 minutes each day,” Mr Chattopadhyay said.

He said that the state government would hold awareness camps in the districts.