Flagging off the BJP’s Parivartan Yatra from Mathurapur in South 24 Parganas district, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday urged the people of West Bengal to throw the TMC out of power in the upcoming Assembly elections and accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of pushing the state into a grave.
“This yatra has been started to bring a change in Bengal… I want to say that parivartan does not only mean changing the CM… By parivartan, we mean to free Bengal of infiltrators and corruption. So parivartan means bringing the BJP to power. Bengal has tolerated a lot. Previously, the Communists unleashed atrocities. Bengal, at one time, was a blooming and was a prosperous state. The Communists brought the state’s downfall, and Mamata Banerjee pushed Bengal into a grave. Now, the time has come to make Bengal, (Rabindranath) Tagore’s Sonar Bangla (Golden Bengal).”
Referring to 60 lakh names being deleted from the electoral roll in the state during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, Shah accused the TMC government of “unchecked infiltration” under its watch.
“Right now, only names are being deleted from voter rolls, and Mamata Didi is nervous. Once the BJP forms the government, we will identify and remove every infiltrator from Bengal,” Shah said, addressing the gathering in the coastal belt abutting the Sundarbans and close to the India-Bangladesh border.
“You had voted for the TMC. Did any change take place? Did infiltrators stop entering, or did the corruption and syndicate stop? These all can go away only when the BJP comes to power,” Shah said.
“Bengal has been filled with Bangladeshi infiltrators as they are her (Mamata’s) votebank,” he added.
Claiming that West Bengal has been “turned into a heaven for infiltrators”, Shah targeted Mamata over her opposition to the Centre’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and said, “If she hadn’t opposed, then each and every refugee from Bangladesh would have become the citizens of this country. I will tell all Hindu refugees, you do not need to worry about your citizenship.”
Shah’s remarks come amidst growing concerns in the Matua-dominated areas that have seen higher voters deletions in the SIR exercise. Matuas are Hindu migrants who had settled in West Bengal from Bangladesh and are seen as BJP’s core voters in the state.
Accusing the chief minister of resorting to appeasement politics, Shah said, “Now, suddenly she is building temples… Whatever agenda she has, we welcome the building of temples.”
Referring to suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir’s decision to make a Babri-like Masjid in Murshidabad district, Shah alleged that “Humayun and Mamata are of the same plate”. “In a pre-planned manner, Humayun Kabir has been sent out of the party, and a Babri mosque is being built,” he added.
Promising to put “all TMC goons” in jails if the BJP comes to power in the state, Shah said that the 7th Pay Commission would be implemented within 45 days of forming the government.
“BJP’s vision for Bengal prioritizes restoring employment opportunities for youth and ensuring long-pending financial justice for government employees, filling all vacant government posts will be initiated by December 26, with special relaxation of 5 years for recruitment,” he said.
Promising to introduce “transparent recruitment mechanisms” to restore confidence among job aspirants, Shah also said that youths will receive a special five-year age relaxation in government recruitment examinations to “compensate for lost opportunities caused by recruitment delays”.
He also promised to provide a special financial provision of Rs 5,700 crore for women’s empowerment. “Dedicated schemes will be introduced to ensure the dignity, safety, economic independence, and social security of mothers and sisters of Bengal,” he said.