BJP leader Amit Malviya criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday, alleging that she has relegated Hindus to a lower status of citizenship within her state.
His comments follow Banerjee’s contentious statement at a public rally in West Bengal, where she purportedly remarked, “If you see them (BJP) sloganeering on (April) 17, it is their (BJP’s) day of riot.”
Significantly, Ram Navami, commemorating the birth anniversary of Lord Rama, falls on April 17.
In a brazenly communal statement, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, alludes to Hindus as rioters.
In a public meeting at Coochbehar, she appeals to the minorities to keep ‘calm’ (on 17th Apr), calls Ram Navami, the day billions of Hindus around the world pray to Bhagwan Ram, as… pic.twitter.com/3gM3xDvNwE
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) April 15, 2024
“In a brazenly communal statement, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee alludes to Hindus as rioters. In a public meeting at Coochbehar, she appeals to the minorities to keep ‘calm’ (on 17th Apr), calls Ram Navami, the day billions of Hindus around the world pray to Bhagwan Ram, as the day of organizing riots… She further adds, even if “they” abuse you, pray to Allah to oust “them” from Bengal,” Amit Malviya said in a post on X.
“Who are these ‘them’ that Mamata Banerjee wants the minorities to send out of Bengal? The Bengali Hindus? Where will they go? West Bengal was created as a homeland for Hindu Bengalis. Shame on the Bengal CM for splitting Bengal into ‘us’ vs ‘them’ and reducing Hindus to second-grade citizens,” he added in the post.
Voting in the 42 parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal is scheduled for April 19, April 26, May 4, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. Vote counting is set for June 4.
Across most constituencies in the state, the primary contest is between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the main opposition party, the BJP.
Despite being part of the INDIA bloc, the TMC does not have a seat-sharing agreement with other parties in the alliance, such as Congress and the Left parties in the state.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the TMC secured 34 seats in the state, while the BJP only managed to win 2 seats. The CPI (M) clinched 2 seats, whereas the Congress secured 4.
Nonetheless, the BJP significantly enhanced its performance in the 2019 polls, securing 18 seats compared to the TMC’s 22. The Congress’s tally plummeted to just 2 seats, while the Left failed to secure any seats.