On a three-day tour of West Bengal to revitalise the party, BJP chief Amit Shah on Tuesday attacked Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress dispensation in the State, accusing it of being “corrupt” and “worse than the Left”.

Kicking off the BJP’s efforts to create a larger political space for itself in the State, Shah asked party cadre to reach out to the grass-roots and explain the development schemes of the Centre. They were also asked to ‘expose’ the State government for renaming several of these schemes.

“Shout so hard that your voices reach Kolkata,” he said, addressing workers after having lunch at the home of a party worker in North Bengal’s Naxalbari village, which was made famous for the violent Left-wing uprising of the 1960s.

Fresh from the electoral sweep in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has zeroed in on West Bengal, Odisha and Kerala as its priority States. It is eyeing a better show in Bengal in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The BJP has traditionally been a marginal player in the State with three MLAs in the 294-member Assembly being its best show so far.

However, with the party mobilising huge numbers in the just-concluded Ram Navami celebrations across different districts in Bengal, it is hopeful of good electoral results. Sources say, the BJP is also looking to make a dent in the 2018 rural polls, too.

For the BJP, Shah’s next stop would be Bhabanipur in Kolkata, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Assembly constituency.

Speaking at a rally in Siliguri, Shah sought to make a case for the BJP. “Development is not the agenda of Trinamool or Mamata Banerjee. The only alternative now for the people here is BJP. Give us a chance,” he said.

He said the Trinamool has proved to be worse than the erstwhile Left Front in terms of governance. “We thought Trinamool would bring about a change in fortune. But it has not been case. It is worse than the Left. And corrupt too,” he said.

Pointing out to the rising debts of the State, Shah said the numbers have more than doubled under Banerjee’s regime. From ₹1.52 lakh crore, Bengal’s debt now stands at ₹3.5 lakh crore,” he said.

“The least said about the law and order situation in Bengal, the better. Fake note rackets run unchecked in Malda; while bomb-making, rather than industrialisation, has been its [the government’s] priority,” Shah added.

Banerjee, however, is not taking the BJP lightly. The Chief Minister, who is incidentally in North Bengal for administrative meetings and to oversee development work, attacked the BJP in no uncertain terms.

Asking people not to fall prey to “divisive politics” Banerjee said: “Do not fall prey to parties that pitch one person against another in the name of religion. We believe in communal harmony.”

She even accused the BJP of defaming Hinduism.

Banerjee also attacked the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a proposal to have unique identification numbers for cows. (The move is expected to prevent cattle smuggling.)

“Now cows will have Aadhaar numbers…what next?” she questioned.