Mamata Banerjee

"Cars are increasing. Shopping malls are increasing. Multiplexes are increasing. Our young people are becoming modern. And you are saying that rapes are increasing."

"“Somewhere, a firecracker (chocolate bomb) has exploded and the media is holding the Trinamool Congress responsible for it. The story is being telecast all the time. And no other media house is doing this job better than Anandabazar Patrika,” Mamata Banerjee accused the newspaper of exaggeration. “Wow. It gets advertisements (from the State government) and only highlights the negative things…Remember, you must set limits for yourself. Those who give advertisement to them must ponder whether it should be continued at all,” she cautioned. “I will not allow this [media bias] to happen and even sacrifice my life for it,” she announced. . “With your ad money, they increase their TRP and show negative things such as murders all the time.”"

"“The rural newspapers (gramin patrika), which will highlight the government’s work in a positive light, will get advertisement revenue. I will specifically direct the District Magistrate (DM) about this. This is because the government does not use State machinery each time for publicity.” The West Bengal Chief Minister emphasised the need for sending a copy of rural newspapers to the cops and DM office. “Do you know why? This will help them review whether the news coverage (about the government) is positive or negative. Whoever is doing more positive content, give them advertisements. This is because I want them to work well and highlight all the positives.” Mamata Banerjee then appealed to rural journalists to spin negative stories into positive news. “A negative news can always be turned into a positive one. In Bengal, we notice only negativity. There is no focus on positive news. Do positive stories. You will surely get advertisements from us…I am saying this for a long time. Hold a meeting with local newspapers and decide accordingly.”"

"Everyday rape incidents are being highlighted as if the entire state has become the land of rapists. Rape is sought to be glorified by these people. This will not be tolerated by people. I would like to say that negative journalism only destroys and it is time to champion positive journalism."

"A political party is doing all this, shouting rape. The harmads are playing this drama, They are staging an act with the help of harmads, which is giving Bengal a bad name."

"I keep knowledge of every inch of the elections. After the election, the security personnel sent by the central government will go back, but if our government is formed then the BJP supporters will plead with folded hands for the central security forces to be stationed for a few more days so that they (BJP supporters) could be saved."

"I am requesting my minority brothers and sisters with folded hands don’t divide the Muslim votes after listening to the Shaitan who has taken money from the BJP. He passes many communal statements and initiate clashes between the Hindu and the Muslims... “a friend of BJP has come from Hyderabad. Along with a boy from Furfura Sharif he is spending crores of rupees and giving communal slogans. They are not only trying to divide Hindus and Muslims, but even attempting to split the Muslim votes."

"A procession will be taken out with the dead bodies of those fired upon by the CRPF, and all the CRPF personnel involved will be suspended and sent behind bars after cases are filed against them through lawyers."

"She said in Bengali, “As a layman, I am saying where would someone get the evidence whether she was actually raped or was she pregnant or was there any other reason, like someone beat her up or she died of some illness. There was a love affair for sure, her family knew about it, and their neighbors also knew about it. Now if a girl and a boy love each other, I cannot punish them”, said the WB Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “This is not Uttar Pradesh that I can do that in the name of Love Jihad”, said the West Bengal Chief Minister."

"Let them do what they want. We are not scared. We are not cowards. We are not ‘Kafir’ [possibly]. We fight. We know how to fight. We will fight against them. We will finish them.”"

"A war has begun. This war will continue. We will fight, we are not scared of anyone. Kafirs and Kapurush are scared of fighting and they die. Those who fight remain alive."

"Do remember one thing, don’t support, assist, vote for BJP. I am swearing on Allah if you help, assist BJP, nobody would forgive you, let alone me."

"The Kafirs, the cowards, flee, the one's who fight, they win they work."

"We are not cowards, we are not kafir."

"In 2015, the Bangladeshi Islamist party, Jamaat e-Islami, opened up a branch office in Kolkata, India. Extensive reporting alleged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee helped funnel money to Jamaat inside Bangladesh and help Jamaat’s power in West Bengal politics grow. By the end of November 2015, Banerjee appeared openly with Jamaat at a large public rally in Kolkata."

"Recently you have said ‘all Muslims unite and don’t let your votes be divided’. When you are saying this it means that your Muslim vote bank, which you considered your strength, is no longer with you.. Muslims have drifted away from you. Since you have to say this publicly it is clear that you have lost elections.. The mood of the people can tell which way the wind is blowing. One can guess the outcome of the elections from your anger, frustration, behaviour and speeches... Didi, you are abusive towards the Election Commission. But had we asked the Hindus to unite and vote for BJP, we would have got eight or ten notices from the Election Commission. Editorials would have been written about us in the entire country."

"Mamata Banerjee criticized everything of the Left government but she did the same thing what Left Front government did to me," ..Mamata Banerjee's thinking to get Muslim votes is the same; she thought she would lose Muslim votes if she allowed me to enter West Bengal," ..."I do not think Mamata Banerjee is a human rights defender. There are many people in West Bengal who criticised her and suffered a lot ....Human rights have been violated in West Bengal."

"Many of my books are banned in Bangladesh. My book was banned in West Bengal too. Its government not only banned my book, it forced me to leave the state too. The new government ban­ned the release of my book Nir­basan in 2012 and a few months ago forced a TV channel called Akash Ath to stop telecast of a mega serial I wrote. The serial was about women’s struggle and how three sisters living in Calcutta fight aga­inst patriarchal oppression to live their lives with dignity and honour. She (Mamata Banerjee) ban­ned me to app­ease some misogynist mullahs."

"I had expected that the situation in West Bengal will change after Mamata came to power. But I was wrong. I found her harsher than the earlier Left Front government... Politicians are all on the same platform when it comes down to me. I think it’s because they think that if they can satisfy the Muslim fundamentalists they will get votes. I believe I am a victim of votebank politics. This also shows that how weak the democracy is and politicians ask votes by banning a writer ... Even though I am not staying there, she (Banerjee) has not allowed my book ‘Nirbasan’ to be published. Also, she has stopped the broadcast of a TV serial scripted by me after Muslim fundamentalists objected to it. She is not allowing me to enter the state… This is a dangerous opposition ... I wrote to Mamata Banerjee. But there was no response to that… No I am not going to write to her again. I do not think she will consider my request. I feel very hopeless because I expected something positive. I think when it comes down to me, she has similar vision like that of the Left leaders."

"“The producer and director were developing my story to a mega series. They had shot around 100 episodes after which the ban was imposed. The Muslim fanatics in Bengal, supported by the ruling Trinamool Congress played havoc when the serial was to be aired. The chief minister was instrumental in imposing the ban. It is interesting to see that the same person (Mamata Bangerjee) is now advocating for freedom of expression and calling it super emergency,” “This is sheer double standard..... If some people do not like a representation of art, there are other ways to counter it. I never support violent attack on artistic freedom. I also do not support the trend of issuing fatwa. But, there are politicians, who support or protest on the basis of religion. Why are rules being tweaked for one particular community in Bengal? Why did Mamata Banerjee’s government never allow me to work there, allow my books to be published? Freedom of expression, the most important character of a democracy, is always under attack for vested political interest. Nobody criticises things neutrally,”"

"The “sleeping Hindus of Bengal” have been “awakened by her excesses” ... [Banerjee was responsible] “for her own downfall.”"

"She is like an unleashed monster."

"Shocking statement by Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, who trivialises the brutal rape and murder of a 14 year old girl in Nadia’s Hanskhali. She questions the victim and asks if it was a love affair or a case of unplanned pregnancy gone awry! Because the accused is TMC leader’s son."

""She was silent on the case of Sheikh Shahjahan, the High Court had to give the enquiry to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Women were shouting and you even didn't bother," he said. "She compromised with the nation for a vote bank. TMC is providing shelter to infiltrators and giving them ID cards and ration cards, making them voters, this is anti-national activities. They also give protection to such people," Nadda added."