Rejinagar (West Bengal) [India], April 11 (ANI): All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the conduct of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Addressing a public rally here, Banerjee exclaimed that West Bengal’s Home Minister is “Mamata Banerjee,” expressing criticism towards the NRC.
“Amit Shah had dared that the NRC would take place. We didn’t allow. If Union Home Minister’s name is Amit Shah, then Bengal’s Home Minister’s name is Mamata Banerjee,” he said.
The AITC General Secretary further alleged a nexus between the BJP, AJUP, ISF, Congress and AIMIM, comparing them to rotten vegetables.
“If you eat Khichdi made of rotten potatoes, onions and brinjal, it will definitely upset your stomach,” he said.
Referring to the incident of AJUP leader Humayun Kabir associating with BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, PMO, Assam and Madhya Pradesh CM Himanta Biswa and Mohan Yadav, Banerjee questioned Kabir of “joining hands with the very people who had demolished the Babri structure.”
“The Babri incident took place in 1992. Humayun Kabir became a BJP candidate in 2019; when he became the BJP’s nominee in 2019, did he not stop to consider that he was joining hands with the very people who had demolished the Babri structure? He claims, “I am connected via FaceTime with Suvendu Adhikari; I am connected with the Prime Minister; I am connected with the Chief Minister of Assam; I am connected with the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav.” These are not my words; Humayun Kabir himself is saying this…”
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, earlier in the day, launched an attack over the BJP’s ‘Sankalp Patra’ and opposed the Uniform Civil Code, stating that the TMC will revoke the bill once in majority.
Addressing a gathering here ahead of the upcoming assembly polls, CM Banerjee claimed that “free and fair elections are not possible” under the BJP’s rule.
“They have spoken about UCC (Uniform Civil Code) in the manifesto…I will vehemently oppose this. They are in majority today so they will pass the Bill. When they won’t be in majority tomorrow, we will revoke the Bill…Free and fair elections are not possible as long as they remain,” she said.
The CM also accused the BJP of attempting to bring the Delimitation Bill to Parliament, amid the ongoing elections in the country, without a debate. She claimed that the party wants to “divide Bengal and conduct NRC.”
The CM further alleged that “two false affidavits were filed to cancel my candidature from Bhabanipur,” questioning that, “They could not do it, but imagine if they could do this against me, what all they can do against others.”
The remarks come as West Bengal prepares for crucial polling on April 23 and 29, with the results set for May 4. The upcoming elections follow the 2021 battle, where the TMC secured a landslide 213 seats. However, the BJP’s growth from a minor player to 77 seats in the last cycle has set the stage for the current high-stakes confrontation. (ANI)