Biswabrata Goswami
EGRA, 20 MARCH: With just a few days left for the assembly elections to begin, Union Home minister Amit Shah on Sunday raised political temperature by launching attacks on Trinamul supremo Mamata Banerjee over her “appeasement policies” and said there will be no curb on religious practices under the BJP rule.
Addressing an election campaign rally at Egra in East Midnapore, Mr Shah said, “If elected to power, BJP will ensure no one imposes any restrictions on religious practices in Bengal.”
Asserting that BJP does not believe in vote-bank politics, Mr Shah reaffirmed the BJP will build ‘Sonar Bangla’ (Golden Bengal) over the next five years, propelled by the party’s double-engine government at the Centre and the state.”
“School teachers in Bengal were beaten up for organising ‘Saraswati puja’. The TMC dispensation does not allow Saraswati puja celebration in schools. The BJP, after coming to power, will ensure that there is no restriction in organising any religious festival, Mr Shah stated.
Ending weeks of speculation, disgruntled TMC MP and veteran leader Sisir Adhikari, father of Suvendu Adhikari – Mamata Banerjee’s protégé-turned political foe – who has been pitted against her from Nandigram, joined the BJP at Amit Shah’s rally in Egra.
Sharing the dais with Mr Shah, Mr Adhikari said, “Save Bengal from atrocities, we are with you, our family is with you. Jai Sri Ram, Bharat Mata Ki Jai.”
Welcoming Mr Adhikari, Mr Shah went on speaking over what his party has plans for Bengal if it is voted to power.
He assured the people of West Bengal that the BJP would make the state free of infiltrators. He also warned that the saffron party would take action against the Trinamul Congress for its “wrongdoings”.
“Didi gave the slogan of ‘Maa, maati, manush’ but did change come? Can she give you freedom from infiltrators? We will make Bengal free of infiltrators in five years.”
“Our 130 cadres were killed. Goons of TMC shouldn’t think that they will be spared. We will take action when our government comes to power in West Bengal on 2 May,” he added.
Mr Shah also promised that if BJP is voted to power will implement seventh pay commission for West Bengal government employees. “We will also increase salaries of the teachers,” he assured.
Meanwhile, the patriarch of the Adhikari family — which wields considerable influence in Bengal’s East Midnapore district — said that he had to work really hard to rise through the ranks in the TMC, but the treatment meted out to him and his sons, of late, forced him to switch camp.
“The way our family was driven out (of TMC) will be forever written in history. We will rise against all political attacks and atrocities in Bengal. We will work under Modiji and Amit Shahji,” Mr Adhikari said.
Earlier in the day, Mr Adhikari had asserted that his son Suvendu, locked in a fierce battle with Chief Minister and TMC boss Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram, will bag the seat at ease.
“Suvendu will win the elections by a huge margin. The TMC will be wiped out of East Midnapore,” he told reporters.
