'BJP a party of monsters', says Mamata as Shah raises 'bhaipo' issue

KOLKATA: Verbal spat between BJP’s heavyweights visiting West Bengal and chief minister Mamata Banerjee continued on Tuesday as Union Home minister Amit Shah hit out at her on ‘nephew’ issue saying it was Bengal CM’s bhatija who did not let the victims of cyclone Amphan see the Centre’s compensation. 

In retaliation, Mamata branded the saffron camp as a party of monsters and dacoits.

While addressing a rally in Gosaba, a stronghold of the ruling Trinamool Congress in the South 24 Parganas district, Shah warned to throw all those, who were involved in the compensation scam, behind the bars after wresting power in Bengal in the upcoming Assembly elections.

"Modiji (Prime Minister) had sent Rs 10,000 crore for Amphan relief. Did you get its benefit? Bhatija and his associates siphoned off the fund. But don’t worry. After coming to power in Bengal, we will set up an SIT (special investigation team) and probe all the discrepancies of the fund and no one will be spared. We will put all of those involved in the scam behind the bars," said Shah without mentioning Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s name.

Later, TMC’s secretary-general Partha Chatterjee termed Shah’s claim a false one. "The Centre had given only Rs 1,000 crore against our demand of RS 6,000 crore," he said.

In a prompt reply shortly after Shah’s attack, Mamata said, "They (BJP) wants to run one factory in the country which is manufacturing lies. They are selling everything. BJP is a party of monsters and dacoits."

Without naming the saffron camp, she said that the injury on her leg was a fall out of a conspiracy. "The BJP thought I would not leave home after they hit my leg. My one leg is enough to kick them out of Bengal," she said while addressing a rally in the Purulia district.   

Shah’s rally in South 24-Parganas was held at a place that is part of Bengal’s delta region. "Gosaba is made of nine islands but it still doesn’t have potable drinking water. BJP will bring drinking water to the region. Besides, one of the three AIIMS hospitals in Bengal will be set in Sunderbans," he promised in his speech.

In her speech at the rally in Purulia, Mamata urged migrant workers to return to Bengal. "Those who are out of the state must return and cast their votes. If they don’t vote, the BJP will delete their names from the electoral roll. "I urge all migrant workers to return home, I will secure jobs for them here," she said.

In the evening, Modi held a roadshow in Midnapore town where he claimed that the BJP will come to power in Bengal with more than 200 seats (out of 294).