Trinamool Congress MLA Sabitri Mitra has claimed that Gujaratis supplied weapons to the British to keep India subjugated under their rule.
Mitra, a former West Bengal minister, also claimed that Gujaratis did not fight for India in its independence struggle.
“Gujarat has no role [in India’s Independence movement], but today Gujaratis are becoming prime ministers and shouting ‘Bharat mata ki jai’ [slogans],” she alleged. “Do they have the right to shout ‘Bharat mata ki jai’.”
Mitra claimed that only those who fought in Independence movement have the right to shout the slogan.
“We can shout the slogan,” she added. “The BJP has no right”.
The Trinamool Congress legislator also described Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah as Duryodhan and Dushashan, the antagonists from epic Mahabharata.
According to the epic, Duryodhan, the King of Kauravas, had ordered his brother to disrobe, albeit unsuccessfully, Draupadi, the wife of the Pandava brothers.
“You [Modi and Shah] have no work to do, other than doing vastraharan [act of disrobing] of ladies,” she alleged.
Sharing the video, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Suvendu Adhikari said Mitra made the statement at a rally in Malda on Sunday.
“Her hatred for Gujaratis is incomprehensible,” he tweeted. “She labelled the people of Gujarat as traitors. Unfortunate.”
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