University of Oxford: Governance model does not allow discrimination, says Kolkata CM

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her governance model does not allow discrimination and she prioritises the welfare of all sections of society. Addressing a gathering at Kellogg College at the University of Oxford on Thursday, she stressed the importance of inclusive development and stated that division in society is counterproductive.

"If I die, before my death, I want to see unity. Unity is our strength, and division leads to our fall. This was Swami Vivekananda's belief. Keeping unity is a difficult task, but dividing people takes only a moment. Do you think the world can sustain such divisive ideology?" she questioned.

"When I am in the chair, I cannot divide society. I have to look after the weaker sections and the poor. We have to work hard for them. At the same time, we must work for all religions, castes, and creeds together, move forward with them, and help them," she said. Banerjee, who heads the Trinamool Congress, was speaking on 'Social Development – Girl, Child and Women Empowerment in West Bengal'. Pointing to West Bengal's diversity, she said people in the state celebrate all festivals together without discrimination.

"We have about 11 crore people in our state -- almost like a big country. Our beauty lies in the fact that more than 33 per cent of our people belong to minority communities, including Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Gorkhas.

Around 6 per cent are tribals, and 23 per cent belong to Scheduled Castes. People of every caste, creed, and religion love each other," she said. Banerjee underlined the need for a human-centric approach to governance. "Our mission is to ensure that there is no discrimination among students, women, farmers, and workers. We must consider all people as human beings. Without humanity, this world cannot run, continue, or sustain -- I firmly believe so," she said.