Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Images/Agencies)
NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over why he did not address Pakistan’s threat to strike Kolkata.Addressing a poll rally in Nadia district, she said: “You (PM) target Bengal during election rallies; but when Pakistan talks of attacking Bengal, you do not utter a word. You should resign.”Raising concerns over the Centre’s response, she questioned PM Modi’s silence on the issue during his recent rally in Cooch Behar.”Why did the prime minister not raise the issue during his rally in Bengal? When Pakistan’s defence minister says they will attack Kolkata, why didn’t the prime minister say that ‘we will take strong action’?”Banerjee asserted that threats to the country and the state would not be tolerated. “Just like we do not accept any threat to the country, we will also not take the threat to Kolkata lying down,” she added.Her remarks come after Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif warned that Islamabad would respond with a strike on Kolkata in the event of any ‘future misadventure’ by India.“If India tries to stage any false flag operation this time, then God-willingly, we will take it to Kolkata,” Asif said while speaking to reporters in Sialkot. The statement followed heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in recent months, with both sides issuing strong warnings. Asif had earlier described Pakistan’s response to any Indian action as “swift, calibrated and decisive,” reacting to India’s stance on cross-border threats.India has maintained that it will respond firmly to any cross-border threat, while reiterating that it does not distinguish between terrorist groups and those supporting them.(with inputs from PTI)
