Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 28 : Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sushmita Dev on Thursday lauded West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her remarkable social welfare initiatives, particularly in women's empowerment. Dev also highlighted Mamata Banerjee's invitation to Oxford University to speak on her government's "exceptional social welfare schemes."
Dev challenged the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, to provide the exact launch date of the 'Arunodoi' scheme and compare it with the introduction of Mamata Banerjee's 'Lakshmir Bhandar.'
"Mamata Banerjee is the honorable Chief Minister of West Bengal, and she has been invited to Oxford University to deliver a talk because of her exceptional social welfare schemes. Her initiatives, particularly those focused on women's empowerment, stand out as unparalleled in the country. The scheme launched by Mamata Banerjee for the empowerment of women in Bengal is unique; no similar program exists elsewhere in India. I want to address the Chief Minister of Assam, who claims that Mamata Didi copied his 'Arunodoi' scheme. I challenge him directly, asking him to tell me the exact date when you launched 'Arunodoi' and compare it to when Mamata Didi introduced 'Lakshmir Bhandar.' Let the facts speak for themselves," she said.
She further slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for criticising Mamata Banerjee's achievements, suggesting that their criticism stems from her being a woman Chief Minister, and terms it as being against 'Nari Shakti'.
"The BJP seems to have an issue with Mamata Didi's achievements and her invitation to speak at such a prestigious platform. I don't understand why they criticize her...Could it be because she is a woman Chief Minister? When a woman Chief Minister from our country is invited to speak at a globally renowned university, it should be a matter of pride. So, the BJP's 'sanghi' mindset is against Nari Shakti. Have you ever seen a woman in the RSS?" she questioned.
West Bengal's CM Mamata Banerjee, currently visiting the UK, had spoken about how Bengal is looking forward to further cement ties with partners in UK and beyond.
CM Banerjee highlighted that it is now the "major destination for job opportunities, investment, skills development, education, small-scale industries, and sports, strengthening the state's position as a hub for multiple sectors."