Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on Tuesday launched the party’s “Mission Bengal” programme from West Bengal’s Naxalbari village – the place where a Maoist uprising started in 1960s. “This is where violence started. I am happy to see the Lotus bloom here,” Shah said according to NDTV.
He also accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of unleashing violence in the state. “Bengal, which was once at the forefront of development, now lags behind,” Shah said. “Unemployment is high and the TMC government is following the policy of appeasement of minorities.”
Shah inaugurated Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Vistarak Yojana from Naxalbari on Tuesday and addressed BJP party workers.
The BJP president claimed that development under the Narendra Modi rule could be seen in every corner of the country, but the TMC government did not allow it in Bengal. He said the success of the Centre’s demonetisation move had helped them gain victory in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
“In 2019 [Lok Sabha polls], the BJP will get the maximum number of seats in West Bengal,” he said. “The people of the country will witness it.”
Shah started his three-day campaign in Naxalbari on Tuesday. He sat down for lunch at a tribal family’s house in the village. He will also soon visit Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Bhabanipur constituency. Shah said he will also tour five states in 15 days to strengthen and expand the party’s presence.
Meanwhile, Banerjee downplayed the BJP chief’s visit to Naxalbari and alleged that the party was trying to divide people along religious lines. “They are not Hindus. They defame Hinduism,” she said in Cooch Behar, according to PTI. “They create communal tension in the name of religion.” The TMC chief said she would not tolerate any sort of communal tension in her state.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!