india

Updated: Jan 29, 2019 17:03 IST

Stepping up his attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a public rally in East Midnapore on Tuesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah alleged that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government “has propagated poverty and violence” in the state. Amit Shah also gave a call for “change of government in Bengal” to make the state “Sonar Bangla” (Bengal, a land of gold) once again.

“Every fifth person in Bengal is poor, and has no access to food. Can West Bengal develop from this situation? Didi has propagated poverty and violence along with syndicate,” Amit Shah said while accusing Mamata Banerjee of “rebranding” the central schemes as her own.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started so many schemes which have extended benefits to West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee has rebranded them as her own schemes. She thinks the people don’t know anything…Mamata has stolen the right of the people of Bengal by taking away Ayushman Bharat from them. It would’ve provided healthcare up to Rs 5 lakhs to the poor. But she stole it from the people,” Shah said.

“The Left had perpetuated poverty and unemployment. Mamata added syndicate to it. Will the ponzi scheme operators get caught if the chief minister is not changed? Twenty-five lakh people lost their hard earned money in ponzi schemes,” Shah said.

The BJP president said that the Lok Sabha elections were an opportunity for the people of the state for “re-formation of Shonar Bangla”. He said, “What happened to Bengal?Where did Shonar Bangla go? Bengalis in India are looking for it today. All are looking at Bengal.”

“For this nation, it might be an election to make Modi ji PM once again but for Bengal, the election is to make Sonar Bangla…The upcoming elections are not for re electing Narendra Modi, it is for the re-formation of Sonar Bangla,” he said.

Amit Shah alleged that the BJP workers were being killed in West Bengal for protesting the policies of the TMC government in the state. “The population of West Bengal wants a change. Why were so many BJP karyakartas killed? Their only crime was to protest against the TMC’s injustices,” he said.

Targeting the Mamata Banerjee government for rows over idol immersion during Dussehra last year, Amit Shah said, “If you wish to celebrate Durga Puja or Saraswati Puja in West Bengal, you will be attacked by goons. Should we go to celebrate these festivals in Pakistan?”

He raked up the issue of the government’s move to grant citizenship to the non-Muslim minorities taking shelter in India following their alleged persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh at the East Midnapore rally. Shah said the Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and other minorities are coming to India from neighbouring countries in order “to save the honour of their women”. He alleged that Mamata Banerjee was opposing the proposed citizenship law for political reasons.