Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday asserted that "goons sheltered by the Trinamool Congress" will be tracked and sent behind bars after the BJP forms government in West Bengal.
He said the "murdered BJP karyakartas (workers)" including Sudarshan Pramanik from Hooghly district, will get justice "after 28 days", referring to May 2, the day of counting of votes polled in the eight-phase assembly elections.
"TMC goons, listen carefully. After the counting of votes, we will teach you a lesson. Similar things happened in Uttar Pradesh four years back after we formed the government there.
"We imprisoned the tormentors of people. In Bengal, we will punish those who are a part of the syndicate raj and demand cut money (commission)," Adityanath said.
He added that "goondaism also came to a halt in Kashmir" after the BJP government at the Centre took firm steps.
Accusing the TMC supremo of pursuing politics of appeasement during her 10-year rule, he said Banerjee created hurdles in Durga puja, Saraswati puja and Holi celebrations in Bengal, something that never happens in Uttar Pradesh.
"Elect the BJP to ensure you are not stopped from taking part in festivals," he said.
Adityanath later claimed at another rally in Jangipur in Murshidabad district that the Mamata Banerjee government did not initially allow Durga Puja celebrations two years back in Bengal.
The high court had to intervene "to ensure the rights of the Hindu community", he said.
"After the high court order, the administration here contacted their counterparts in UP to seek guidance on how to take necessary measures. I want to tell the TMC government that if there is will, you can always find a way," the BJP leader said.
TMC leaders, however, maintained that the state government has always extended help to festival organisers across the last decade, including providing Rs 50,000 to Durga puja committees last year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This is a false propaganda of the BJP. For a fact, the UP government did not allow Durga puja to be held in 2020, but gave permission for Ram Navami celebrations," West Bengal minister Subrata Mukherjee had recently said.
Adityanath also said Banerjee is "allergic" to the chanting of 'Jai Shri Ram'. "Just like the way she doesn't allow Durga Puja here, she is opposed to building of the Ram temple in Ayodhya."
He said decisions like giving the go-ahead for construction of the Ram temple and scrapping Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir are examples of BJP fulfilling its poll promises of 2019.
"In my state, 1.30 crore people have been provided electricity free of cost, every poor family got free ration, everyone is covered under Ayushman Bharat.
"In contrast, people of Bengal are deprived of the benefits of central projects, and farmers did not get Rs 6,000 under the PM Kisan Nidhi Yojana. Around 1,000 farmers committed suicide in the past 10 years," he claimed.
The UP CM also said had there been enough opportunities for the youth in Bengal, they would not have left the state in the first place.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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