'Is this democracy?' Mamata as Akhilesh is stopped at Lucknow airport

Hitting out at the BJP after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav was stopped at the Lucknow airport, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday took a veiled dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying though he advise everyone on democracy but was running a "dictatorship" himself.

Talking to reporters at state secretariat 'Nabanna', Banerjee said the country has never witnessed such a "dangerous situation" before.

Yadav said he was stopped by authorities at the Lucknow airport in a bid to prevent him from visiting Allahabad, where he was scheduled to take part at an event in Allahabad University.

Without naming the prime minister, the Trinamool Congress supremo said "though he is giving advice to everyone on democracy but was running a dictatorship and not allowing opposition parties to hold their programme".

 

Referring to BJP president Amit Shah's rally in West Bengal just after he recovered from swine flu, she said, they came from outside and talked on issues like swine flu, but they are not allowing others to speak on democracy in states where they are ruling.

Later at the airport, Banerjee said the BJP is aware that it would not return to power and that is why it is resorting to such "tricks".

"The BJP is very well aware that it won't return to power, that is why they have resorted to tricks of stopping opposition leaders from moving freely. Is this democracy? That we are not allowed to move freely," the chief minister said.

Banerjee was at the airport on her way to Delhi where she is scheduled to participate at the rally of non-BJP leaders convened by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday.

"I've already spoken to @yadavakhilesh. We all condemn the arrogant attitude of the so-called #BJP leaders who didn't allow Akhilesh to address the students. Even @jigneshmevani80 was not allowed," Banerjee wrote on her Twitter handle just after the incident was reported.

"Where is the democracy in our country? And they are giving lessons to everybody!" she added.

In a separate incident on Monday, Mevani's college cancelled its annual day function after the institution's trustees got protest calls against the Dalit leader being the chief guest.

The Trinamool Congress chief also alleged that the RSS and the BJP have been indulging in "politics of killings".

"RSS workers along with the BJP have taken up the politics of killings... this is totally changing my idea about them," she said.

"Police are getting murdered while conducting investigations into matters. People are not being able to give witnesses and the accused are getting away because of the absence of proofs," she said, apparently referring to the alleged killing of inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr last December.

Predicting BJP's rout in the upcoming elections, Banerjee said, "When you are nearing end, you start losing your intelligence and that is what happening with the BJP. They will finish at the bottom (in the Lok Sabha elections).