Kolkata (West Bengal): A few days prior to the conclusive outcomes of the five Assembly elections, where the BJP finds itself in a challenging position, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during a rally in Kolkata, urged the people of West Bengal to rally behind the party. He suggested that if West Bengal supports the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Narendra Modi could proudly claim to have become the Prime Minister because of the state, implying a strategic reliance on West Bengal to secure power at the centre in 2024.
"You have given us a lot of seats in the parliamentary election in 2019 and this time also we want you to support us. Give us so many seats so that Modi ji (Narendra Modi) can say that he has become the prime minister of the country because of the people of West Bengal,” Shah said in a rally in Kolkata.
Shah's revelation comes just a few days before the announcement of the results of five states including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram where, according to poll observers, BJP's condition is not very promising. After the party’s recent defeat in Karnataka, with the party position in the South in jeopardy, the poll prospect in the five states is a serious matter of concern for the saffron brigade.
In a fiery speech in Dharmatala, Amit Shah declared, "In 2024, we must bring back the Modi government," asserting that in 2026, the BJP would establish its rule in Bengal. Directly challenging West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, he urged her to listen carefully, stating, "Didi, open your ears. You can remove Suvendu Adhikari from the Assembly, but you cannot deceive the people of Bengal. Bengal says, 'Didi, your time is up.'"
The central Home Minister criticised Mamata's government for corruption, claiming, "I have come from Gujarat, but I have never seen mountains of notes in any leader's house." Welcomed with chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai,' Shah emphasized the need to bring the Modi government back in 2024 for the BJP to form the government in Bengal in 2026.
Shah, addressing the recent suspension of Suvendu Adhikari from the Assembly, remarked, "Suvendu Adhikari has been suspended from the Assembly twice, but people won't be fooled. To form the BJP government in Bengal in 2026, we must make (Narendra) Modi the Prime Minister in 2024."
He then launched an attack on violence during elections in Bengal, stating, "The most violence during elections happens in Bengal. BJP workers have been murdered, and BJP workers will avenge each killing. Through votes, BJP workers will retaliate against political murders."
Shah, unyielding on the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), declared, "CAA will be implemented." Despite Mamata's efforts, he insisted that entry restrictions would not deter him. Taking a dig at Mamata's past opposition to entry into Parliament, Shah said, "Those who once opposed entry into Parliament are now issuing voter cards to infiltrators."
On allegations of corruption, Shah sharply criticized the Trinamool Congress government, saying, "I have come from Gujarat. I have never seen so much money being recovered from any leader's house."
Accusing Mamata of tarnishing Bengal's reputation, he claimed, "Mamata has destroyed Bengal's image. The money sent by Modiji has been swallowed by the syndicate of the Trinamool."
Looking ahead to January's inauguration of the Ram Mandir, Shah asked the audience if they wanted the Ram Mandir inauguration to happen. He confidently announced, "Modi Ji will inaugurate the Ram Mandir in January 2024, breaking Congress and Mamata's obstruction."
Responding to the recent allegations of central interference and non-payment of funds in the 100-day project, Trinamool legislators, clad in black, protested in the Assembly. In response, Shah said, "Mamata always claims Modi is interfering. The UPA government gave Mamata's government 2 lakh crore rupees, more than what Modi Ji has given."
