'Do not dare an injured lion': Mamata chooses state award ceremony to slam BJP and Left on Partha episode

"If anyone is found guilty, he or she must be punished, but I condemn the malicious campaign against me," Banerjee said during the Banga Bibhushan 2022 awards event at Nazrul Mancha.

"I believe politics is all about serving the nation and loving people. It is all about sacrifice," she said, reminding her own political struggle for decades to achieve her present status.

"I do not support corruption," she said.

She said she felt sad that certain political parties like the key opposition-Bharatiya Janata Party and CPIM-were trying to tarnish her image.

"I don't believe in media trials," she said.

"I still don't know the story behind it so far. We cannot comment before a proper trial. It can be staged as well, but I do not know and we need a speedy trial within three months," she said.

SSC scam: West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee has no serious diseases, says AIIMS Bhubaneswar

She said in case the accused is proven guilty then that person should be given life sentence.

Commenting on the circulation of a video that went viral where Arpita Mukherjee, the close aide of Partha Chatterjee who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, could be seen sharing the stage with her, the CM said: "Don't try to throw ink on me. Remember, even I have tar in my hand."

"If someone is invited by Puja committee members and she was there on the same stage with me then what can I do? I did not know her. If that woman is Partha Chatterjee's friend then how can I know that?" she said.

"If someone has done something wrong then that person should be punished as per law. We won't interfere in the matter," she said.

"However, I want to remind you all that if someone tries to tarnish my image then remember one thing that an injured lion is dangerous," she said.

The Bengal CM said she has authored over 100 books and even now she pays for her stay in government places with the royalty of those books. 

She said Arpita Mukherjee is not related to the Trinamool Congress or the West Bengal government.

She questioned the ED's move of taking Partha Chatterjee to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for health checkup.

"Why was he taken there? We have so many good hospitals in the state," she said.

"Do you feel the Central government is pure and states are thieves?" she said, attacking the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.

A team of doctors from AIIMS Bhubaneswar, who examined Partha Chatterjee on Monday, found no serious diseases and advised him to get discharged.

Chatterjee was flown to Bhubaneswar from Kolkata in an Air Ambulance on Monday and admitted in the I-10 cabin of a private ward of the AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.

The Calcutta High Court had permitted ED to take Partha Chatterjee to Bhubaneswar by air ambulance to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar on Monday for health check-up.

Partha Chatterjee, who is the Trinamool Congress (TMC) secretary general, was arrested Saturday after a 20-hour raid by the ED officials in his residence.

The officials had also recovered a huge cash amounting to Rs. 21 crore from Chatterjee's aide Arpita Mukherjee, who has also been arrested.

The TMC had earlier distanced itself from Chatterjee and claimed it has no link with the cash recovered from Mukherjee's posh south Kolkata flat.

 

(Image credit: Patha Chatterjee Image from his Twitter handle/ED Twitter handle/Viral Picture from Twitter)