It was sound and fury but without the crowds as Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a virtual rally in West Bengal via video conference and launched a broadside campaign against the Trinamool Congress, saying chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s ‘Corona Express’ remark would chart her exit from Bengal.
The Trinamool Congress responded almost instantly with party leader and Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek asking Shah on Twitter on the subject of exits, exactly when the BJP-led government at the centre was going to ensure the Chinese, who had occupied Indian territory, were going to exit India.
The Chief Minister had criticised the poor handling of the running of Shramik Express trains and in that context had said they were not for transporting labourers but to move Corona from one part of India to another. “Bengal has so far accepted only 236 trains carrying three lakh people, whereas Uttar Pradesh has taken 1,700 trains for migrant workers. Bengal not only took less trains but Mamata Banerjee even called the Shramik Special trains as ‘Corona Express’. This is an outright insult to the migrant workers. They will surely avenge it,” the home minister said.
Interestingly, the Home Minister revived the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), warning chief minister Mamata Banerjee that her opposition to citizenship for refugees from erstwhile Bangladesh would cost her the seat of power in West Bengal.
"Why are you opposing citizenship for these refugees. People of Bengal want to know," Amit Shah said. "I want to tell Mamata Didi, your opposition to CAA will prove costly. When the ballot boxes open, then you will see that Bengal's people have turned you into a political refugee. You opposition to CAA will prove very costly for you."
"I saw Mamata's face that day. She was fuming and she was red-faced. She was so angry, she forgot civility. I have never seen anyone so angry before. I want to know what wrong the refugees have done to her," Shah added. He referred to CAA today after many weeks. The National Register of Citizens (NRC) has been put on the back burner by the Union Govenrment but Banerjee has been hitting out at the union government and alleging that whenever it is introduced, it will be used to harass Muslims or even render them stateless.
Shah also said that the 18 seats that BJP won in Bengal were far more important that the total 303 it won across the country.
“This is the only state where violence in politics is the only way to survive,” said Amit Shah and added, "since 2014, over 100 BJP workers lost their lives in political battle here in West Bengal. I pay my respect to their families as they've contributed to development of Sonar Bangla."
He added, “We seek your support for Modi ji and we are happy that you have done the same in Lok Sabha too. I want to make you believe that we have come here not for a political fight but we are here to strengthen the party and the culture of Bengal. We want to improve and revive the culture of Bengal.”