Kolkata: Under attack from the BJP over her party colleagues’ links with those accused in the Burdwan blast and the Saradha scam, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has lashed out against the BJP government at the centre accusing them of “arrogance and irresponsible conduct”, which she termed as reminiscent of the Emergency period.

In a post on a social media site, the Trinamoool Congress chief said, “Surprisingly, it is noticed that BJP through their different networks are continuously engaged in making irresponsible comments, un-parliamentary utterances and persistent character assassinations, where even women are not spared.

“Such arrogance and irresponsible conducts remind us of the Emergency days. I do not want to see deterioration and demolition of the beauty of democracy. One first needs to behave oneself and then guide others,” Banerjee said.

Her anger was supposedly targeted towards the state BJP leadership and also Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with whom Banerjee is yet to meet, five months after his swearing-in.

Bannerjee’s discomfiture lies in the fact that the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), which is investigating the Saradha scam, has now raised questions over the purchase of Banerjee’s paintings by the scam kingpin Sudipto Sen for a sum of Rs18 million (Dh1 million).

This has become a major embarrassment for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has now gone all out to defend its leader. “All documents of sale proceeds were available with the Income Tax department. Officers with a vested interest are trying to malign Banerjee’s image at the behest of the BJP,” said party MP Sudip Banerjee.

Banerjee’s long-time confidant, painter Suvaprassana is also being questioned for the sale of a dysfunctional television channel for an undisclosed sum of money to Sen, on which the painter has claimed Rs40 million as sale proceeds. However, the Special Investigation Team set up by Banerjee had claimed Rs140 million.

The Burdwan blast has also become a major point of embarrassment, as the owner of the rented house in which the terrorist were staying was owned by a TMC leader and her party’s Member of Parliament Imran, is now accused of supporting banned Bangladeshi terror outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen.

State BJP spokesman Ritesh Tiwari said the Chief Minister was levelling baseless allegations. “Banerjee is making baseless allegations. We have never made any personal attacks and have only raised questions on the delay in a NIA probe in Burdwan blast case and involvement of TMC leaders in Saradha scam. She has to answer for this. Her diatribes are aimed at diverting people’s attention from the main issue,” said Tiwari.

“Instead of condemning the terrorist act, she is opposing the NIA probe. What message is she trying to convey? The people of Bengal will give this opportunist and appeasement politics a befitting reply,” said BJP state president Rahul Sinha.