Handle state before grand alliance: Amit Shah to Mamata Banerjee

BJP’s national president Amit Shah on Thursday challenged Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to continue with her work on ‘Mahagathbandhan’. Shah, on a two-day tour visit to the state has sounded the poll bugle ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Purulia, the tribal-dominated district where BJP has made inroad in the recent panchayat elections.

“Mamata ji is now working hard on the Mahagathbandhan. We are seeing that she has been running from one place to another to get all Opposition parties on the same platform. We appreciate her efforts. We also want the Mahagathbandhan to happen, so that we can have a good competition in the general elections. But I want to remind her of her own state. She perhaps does not know that when she is targetting Delhi, her ground here in Bengal is slipping from under her feet,” said Shah while addressing a public rally in Purulia.

After offering prayers at Tarapith temple in Birbhum, Shah flew down to Purulia for a public meeting. Before the meeting, the BJP chief visited some villages in the district and spoke to the locals. He also met the family members of deceased BJP workers Trilochan Mahato and Dulal Kumar. Both Mahato and Kumar were found hanging in Balarampur in Purulia in the first week of June.

Urging people to ‘uproot’ Trinamool, Shah said, “Before coming here, we had estimated around 22 seats from Bengal in Lok Sabha elections. But, now I can confidently add Purulia to that count. Let us take oath that we will not let the sacrifices of Mahato and Kumar and other karyakartas go in vain.”

At least 1,349 BJP workers were injured and 20 were killed during the panchayat elections, said Shah while blaming the Mamata Banerjee government for failing to handle the law and order situation in the state. “I pray to god to give me and BJP karyakartas the strength to throw Mamata out of power as she believes only in violence. The Trinamool workers did not allow people to cast their vote. I challenge Mamata Banerjee that the blood of BJP workers will not go in vain,” he said. “Modi government has been sending money for so many central schemes, but Mamata Banerjee is not allowing them to reach the ground level. Who is standing between the Modi government and people ? It is the Trinamoolrun syndicates. Bengal didn't develop but the goons of Trinamool developed. All factories have shut down in the state and only bomb-making factories are running successfully,” he said.

Reacting to Shah’s claims, Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra said BJP has already imposed an ‘undeclared emergency’ in the country. “It (BJP) should first try to save Delhi and then look at Bengal. All like-minded parties are coming together and with people’s support they will surely oust BJP from the Centre,” said Mitra.