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Updated: May 30, 2019 20:58 IST

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday urged the people of the country to raise their voice against the “torture of BJP” and accused the saffron party of trying to create a divide between Bengalis and non-Bengalis in the state.

“The BJP is trying to create a Bengali, non-Bengali divide in the state. They want to destroy the communal harmony in the state. I hate a party like BJP. I would urge the people of this country to raise their voice against communal divide,” Banerjee said in her first political programme after her party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha elections.

Banerjee took part in a sit-in organised by her party outside the Naihati Municipality on Thursday to protest against the alleged violence perpetrated by BJP after the announcement of poll results.

“More than 400 Bengali families have been rendered homeless by goons of the BJP. I will not spare the goons,” she said.

Alleging that some police officials are acting on directions from BJP leaders, she said, “We will not tolerate it. We will take action against them.” Banerjee asked party cadres to form ‘Banga Janani Bahini’ and ‘Jai Hind Bahini’ to counter the march of the BJP-RSS in the state. “These two outfits will work in all the blocks of the state and will counter the BJP and the RSS.” The TMC supremo claimed that some BJP workers had verbally abused her when she was on her way to attend the rally.

“Is this democracy?” Banerjee asked.

The BJP won 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, only four less than the TMC’s 22. The remaining two seats were bagged by the Congress, while the Left Front drew a blank.