New Delhi: TMC leader and Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra accused BJP of playing "divisive politics" and said not only the people of Bengal, but the entire country will reject it in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Downplaying BJP's claims of winning 23 parliamentary seats out of 42 in 2019 elections, Amit Mitra said Mamata Banerjee has a huge majority and connect with the common people, which the BJP cannot imagine.
Amit Shah on Thursday gave a clarion call for bringing about a change of government in the state like it did in Tripura and lashed out at the TMC chief for unleashing violence against her political rivals.
“During the panchayat elections, there was no threat to Mamata’s chair, yet, her party workers attacked and killed several BJP workers. A total of 1,341 BJP workers were injured and 20 were brutally murdered in Bengal during the elections. Today (June 28), I would like to challenge her from Purulia that my party workers’ sacrifice will not go in vain."
Shah had even gone to the extent of linking Banerjee's name with bomb-making, Mitra said that the BJP was destroying various institutions and that a "neo emergency-type" situation was prevailing in the country.
"There's a fear psychosis in the country if you ask anybody, whether it is business, or media," said Mitra.
Mitra also described the BJP as a "militant organisation". "What else can you say about them when the state unit chief of the party issues threats of killing and sending people to crematorium in public," said Mitra.
Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh had threatened to retaliate if the workers of his party were attacked by the TMC.
Shah also mocked Mamata's apparent mahagathbandhan plans and advised her to first take care of her own state.
“Nowadays Mamata ji is busy with mahagathbandhan. Let her do that. We don’t have any problem, but Mamata Ji, I would like to tell you that the ground under your feet is slipping away. First take care of Bengal and then think of a mahagathbandhan," said Shah.
Taking on Shah, Mitra said, "Mamata Banerjee is working with national leaders as well as regional party leaders because that is the way she works and you will see a beautiful mosaic of alternative parties coming together at national level and Mamata will have a major role to play in 2019."
Mitra accused Shah of spreading "blatant lies" about Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and defaming the state's reputation and said, "Mamata Banerjee has been elected seven times to the parliament. She has been a minister three times. This man has not been elected to the parliament once, now what does he know of politics. It is a shame that a person who has no credibility is accusing Mamata Banerjee."
Not only the people of Bengal, but the entire country will reject BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, he said, adding, "Of the last 11 bypolls, the people have rejected them in 10".
Laughing off BJP's assertion that it was making inroads into Bengal, Mitra said,"They have won a few seats here and there. It is laughable that they will talk of these numbers. It is because they do not understand the culture, the tradition, the integrated society of Bengal."
Mitra refuted Amit Shah's claim that the Narendra Modi government had given the state Rs 3.6 lakh crore and said on a gross level, the state was given Rs 2.85 lakh crore.
The Centre had also cut the budget for 38 big welfare projects and terminated 28 projects in the state, Mitra said, adding that the TMC government was funding those projects to maintain continuity.
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