Mamata slams Yediyurappa for ‘backtracking’ on relief

slamming Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa for “backtracking” on his promise of financial compensation to families of those killed during the anti-CAA protests, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said a delegation from her Trinamool Congress’ trade union wing would visit the southern state to stand by the victims’ families.

Banerjee, who did not take Yediyurappa’s name, said when one makes a promise, one should keep it.

“In several BJP-ruled states, protesters have been killed. In Karnataka, the state government backtracked on their promise of financial compensation for the family of those who lost their lives during this movement. If you make a promise, you should keep it. They are liars,” Banerjee said here, calling it a matter of great shame.

Banerjee, who was addressing meeting before leading a march against the controversial Citizens Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens, said: “Trinamool is a poor party but always stands by the people”.

“As regards the BJP leader from Karnataka, I’ll say you don’t have money for the families of those who were shot dead!” she said.

She then announced the visit of the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress team to Karnataka.

“The INTTUC will send a delegation to Karnataka to stand by the families of those who died in firing. We are with humanity, democracy and secularism,” she said.

In a sudden move, the Karnataka government on Wednesday withdrew the Rs 10 lakh compensation it had announced to the kin of the two victims killed in the police firing in Mangaluru during the violent December 19 protests.

“As police named the two victims in the FIR with other accused for rioting and damaging public property, the compensation to their families is withdrawn till the inquiry into the firing is over and the guilty booked,” Yediyurappa told reporters,.

The Chief Minister announced the compensation on December 21 after visiting the victims’ families in the port city and reviewing the situation arising out of the curfew from December 19-21.

The two victims, Abdul Jaleel and Nausheen, succumbed to bullet injuries they sustained when the police fired on hundreds of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protestors who turned violent and allegedly tried to set a police station on fire in the northern suburb of the coastal city.

“Granting compensation to the kin of the accused sends a wrong signal as violence is a crime and against the rule of law. The compensation will be paid if the two are proved innocent and had no role in the riot,” said Yediyurappa.-IANS news