Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on Monday dared West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to arrest him for chanting Jai Shri Ram, claiming that the TMC chief can stop him attending rallies in Bengal but not stop the BJP’s victory march in the state. Addressing a rally at Canning, which comes under the Joynagar Lok Sabha constituency, he said Mamata Banerjee gets angry if someone chants Jai Shri Ram, referring to a recent incident when the West Bengal CM brought her motorcade to a halt when some people raised the slogan in Ghatal Lok Sabha constituency. The BJP president dared the Trinamool chief to arrest him since he will chant Jai Shri Ram. Shah said Mamata Banerjee has turned Sonar Bangla (Golden Bengal) into Kangal Bangla (Pauper Bengal). Other than this statement, Shah reiterated the BJP’s promise of bringing in a National Register of Citizens in the state to remove and evict illegal foreigners in West Bengal. He also spoke on the Citizenship Bill and its implementation in West Bengal.
Hitting out at the Trinamool Congress government for denying permission to his helicopter to land in Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district, Shah said the West Bengal government is shaken and wants to stop him from addressing rallies in the state. He claimed the ruling party in the state can disrupt his rallies by denying permission etc but the BJP’s victory march in the state cannot be stopped. Shah said the state government intervened and had the BJP meeting in Baruipur cancelled with the owner of the land, where the event was to be held, changing his mind a few hours before the rally.
Shah’s scheduled rally in Jadavpur Lok Sabha seat was called off on Monday after the state government denied permission for landing the helicopter. Joynagar and Barasat are among the 9 seats in West Bengal which will go to the polls on May 19, the last and seventh phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP is going all-guns in West Bengal, and Odisha, this Lok Sabha election to make gains that could help the party in the event of the Uttar Pradesh mahagathbandhan of the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party affecting its tally from the state which sent 71 BJP MPs to Parliament in 2014.
