Shah attacks Mamata over ‘Bhatija Kalyan’
Making dynasty politics and nepotism the BJP’s prime weapons against West Bengal’s ruling Trinamul Congress in the coming Assembly polls, Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday tore into chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee over her “Bhatija Kalyan” (nephew welfare) focus over “Jan Kalyan” (public welfare), in a clear reference to her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, a party MP.
The BJP second in command also accused the state government of trying hard to make the young Diamond Harbour MP Ms Banerjee’s successor as the next West Bengal CM.
Mr Shah told a BJP rally at Dumurjola Stadium in Howrah, which he was earlier supposed to attend in person, virtually from New Delhi: “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wherever the NDA has formed its governments, it is undertaking work for public welfare and development so that each and every village and household gets all services But
here, no agenda other than making Bhatija a CM exists. The Modi government is committed to all types of public welfare. But the Mamata Banerjee government is only busy in Bhatija Kalyan. It has no agenda of public welfare here.”
Buoyed by the induction of former TMC minister Rajib Banerjee, Bally MLA Baishali Dalmiya, Uttarpara MLA Prabir Ghoshal, former Howrah mayor Rathin Chakraborty, former Ranaghat civic chief Partha Sarathi Chatterjee and actor Rudranil Ghosh into the BJP a day earlier, the home minister, in a direct warning to Ms Banerjee, also reiterated: “The way the bright TMC, Communist and Congress leaders in large numbers have been joining the BJP, Mamatadi, if she looks back as the polls will come closer, will find herself standing alone. There will be no one else to give her company because she has meted out only injustice to the people of Bengal on every count.”
Optimistic about the BJP coming to power this time, he even declared: “I ask the people of Bengal not to worry any more. There is hardly any time left. After the BJP government comes to power, it will propose the Centre’s health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat in its first Cabinet meeting for implementation so that
the poor get the `5 lakh coverage for their healthcare.”
Mr Shah and Rajib Banerjee, present at the rally, attacked the CM for blocking Central schemes like PM Kishan Samman Nidhi in the state.
Hitting back at Mr Shah, senior TMC MP Sougata Roy alleged: “We wanted to hear from the Union home minister about the deterioration of the internal security scenerio, the reason behind the blast outside the Israeli embassy and whether there was any settlement with the agitating farmers. Instead of explaining these, he made loose talk. They are yet to prove any evidence (for) their allegations against Bhatija, if it means Mr Banerjee. I challenge Mr Shah to furnish any evidence against Mr Banerjee.”