Union home minister Amit Shah today took head on Mamata Banerjee at her strongest citadel at Namkhana in South 24 Parganas. The district has 31 assembly seats and is considered a very strong TMC bastion besides Kolkata that has 11 seats. In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP, was ahead in only 5 assembly seats from these two districts. However recently, Biplab Haldar, a prominent TMC face of this district has resigned to join BJP. S 24 Parganas has the 6th largest percent of Muslim votes after Murshidabad, Malda, S Dinajpur, Birbhum and North Dinajpur. Kolkata has the seventh highest Muslim concentration.
Shah gave the call for change or `poriborton’ in 294 seats of Bengal and announced for the holding 1500 booth level rallies and meetings in the state. He made a series of announcements for fishermen and state government employees with the assurance of implementing the 7th pay commission. State government employees are deprived of dearness allowance (DA). Kolkata High Court has ruled in favour of the state government employees. In 2019 TMC lost the postal ballot votes of state government employees.
Shah raised his voice against the so called TMC goons and said that `none will be spared’. A couple of months ago BJP President J P Nadda’s convoy was attacked at Diamond Harbour in S 24 Parganas injuring him and some other BJP leaders when they were conducting a road show. Three IPS officers were transferred for dereliction of duty. Shah claimed that the Narendra Modi government had spent over 3 lakh crore for welfare of the state, but none of the funds had reached where it was needed the most. He said, “ it is because the funds were siphoned mid-way by TMC goons and cadres’’. This is Shah’s fourth visit to state in the past couple of months.
Today he launched the `poriborton jatra’ in South 24 Parganas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be paying his third visit to state on 22nd February. Mamata is also holding a rally today in S 24 Parganas.
Shah reiterated his earlier stand of ending the alleged `cut-money’ culture introduced by TMC, if BJP comes to power in state.
Bengali