I am not vindictive, critics have vested interests: Mamata

Kolkata, Nov 29 (IANS) Claiming that she was not vindictive against those who criticised her government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday said she will continue to work for the people.

Speaking at an official function here, Banerjee also alleged that her critics have vested interests.

"I know some people are criticising and demeaning us. They are doing this because they have some vested interest. Let them do. We don't care. Raja chale bazar to kutta bhonke hazaar (the king walks to market, and a thousand dogs bark)," she said.

"Those demeaning the government will fade out one day. I am not vindictive. I don't want to take action against them," she said, on a day Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju criticised her for being "intolerant and whimsical".

Banerjee's government has been going through tough times with a minister, Rabindranath Bhattacharya, alleging that the ruling party leaders and cadres were indulging in extortion.

The chief minister said she had no relationship with those giving a bad name to the "Ma, Mati, Manush (Mother, Land and People − Banerjee's pet slogan)" government. "I don't have any relation with those who are giving a bad name to the Ma, Mati, Manush government. I do not care about what others say about me. I am here only for the cause of the people," Banerjee said while addressing the infrastructure development conclave 'Bengal Builds'.

She asserted that her government would transform the "negative publicity" into positive through its performance.

"We will transform this negative publicity into positive through our work." "I have a will to work. I have always fought for the people and will continue to do so. I can leave other things for the common man, but cannot leave the people for anything. This is my mission and vision," she added.

No amount of denial by Mamta will remove the feeling that she is a whimsical and intolerant person who just desires "Yes" men around her.

Any minister who gives any signs of showing that he has brains is thrown into the Hooghly.

Soumen Mitra, Subrata Mukherjee (in his previous stint), Sudip Bandhopadhyay (when he was forced to contest against Subrata Mukherjee as Independent Candidate), Ajit Panja and Dinesh Trivedi are some of the examples.

I have not mentioned Kabir Suman in the list as Kabir went out of his way to rub her the wrong way.

Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra, farmer Shiladitya Chowdhury, Damyanti Sen, an upright police officer and Tanya Bhardwaj, a young student,were some of the non ministers who faced here ire.

All of them were branded as Maoist agents.

She did not invite Soumitra Chatterjee to the recently head film festival as he had joined a procession against her governments intolerance.