By IANS,
Kolkata: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday alleged that she was humiliated when she visited the hospital Sunday after hearing the news of Marxist leader Jyoti Basu’s death, and accused the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) of neglecting the communist icon during his last days.
“I heard a lot of ugly comments from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) supporters when I emerged out of the hospital after seeing Jyoti Basu. But I never shared it with anybody as I believe the moment a person dies he transcends to a different realm.”
“I can say a lot of things about the CPI-M and their attitude… but I won’t do that,” she told a press conference here.
Targeting the top CPI-M leadership, Banerjee said: “There has to be limit to their audacity. They cannot say whatever they feel like. We are not ready to learn any lesson on courtesy from them. We know it better.”
Banerjee said the CPI-M leadership had not taken good care of Basu during his last days. “They did not care for him. They neglected him.”
The minister also criticised the CPI-M for not caring to pay the last respects to two former chief ministers who died during Basu’s reign.
“None of the CPI-M leadership did pay respect to Prafulla Ghosh and Ajoy Mukherjee – two former chief ministers of the state.”
“But we are not like them. We know what is called political decency. So, we kept our party flag at half mast during the two days of state mourning after Basu’s death,” said Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress supremo.