Mamata Banerjee Mamata Banerjee

"This government is bulldosing democracy across the country. The Narendra Modi government has created a situation that is worse than the emergency period," said Banerjee addressing a public meeting at the Kharagpur College Ground in Kharagpur. "The Centre is amending the Land Acquisition Act which will allow them to snatch away your land at gun point. But I throw this challenge to them. So long as I am alive I will never allow any forcible acquisition of land. They will have to acquire land only on my dead body," she said.

For 21 months between 197577, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi unilaterally declared a state of emergency across the country. claiming "internal disturbance". The Emergency was in effect from June 25, 1975 until its withdrawal on March 21, 1977. The order allowed the PM to rule by ordinances, allowing elections to be suspended and civil liberties to be curbed.

The Trinamool supremo who spearheaded the Save Farmland movement in Hooghly district's Singur that eventually catapulted her to power in West Bengal, called for burning the "black ordinance". "How dare the government take away your right to land? I will never allow such a law in West Bengal. I urge you all to take a copy of the ordinance and burn it. Burn this black ordinance, we will never allow forcible acquisition of land in Bengal," she said.

Mamata also batted for her party state general secretary Shankudeb Panda who was on Monday grilled by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Saradha scam, and accused the Modi government of unleashing the CBI to stifle the voices of protest. "Panda was merely a salaried employee, but he is being targeted only because he is from the Trinamool. Whoever is trying to stand up, is either put behind bars or being shown the CBI or the ED," said Banerjee. "You can cow down others but your arrests and CBI threats will have no effect on Trinamool. We will never be cowed down," the Trinamool chief said.

Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool have been against the CBI, which in its probe of the multi-crore rupee Saradha scam, has netted four Trinamool leaders including Rajya Sabha members Kunal Ghosh, Srinjoy Bose and state transport minister Madan Mitra. Banerjee also targeted the BJP and its national secretary S N Singh who has been claiming that after her party leaders it was time for the chief minister to run from the CBI.

"Their leaders come here and say 'bhag Mamata bhag' (run Mamata run). These shameless people have no manners. They say Mamata Banerjee will have to be arrested. Is it that easy? Do they think it is like popping a lollypop," she asked. Accusing the BJP of selling the country through the FDI, Banerjee urged people to stand up against the anti-people policies of the Centre.