The final day of spirited campaigning for the first phase of the Assembly elections in West Bengal ended with the BJP responding to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s charge that the saffron party would ban fish if voted to power.
Banerjee had earlier claimed that the BJP, if voted to power in the state, “will stop consuming fish and eggs”. In what appears to be a response to Mamata, BJP MP Anurag Thakur and other party leaders were seen eating fish curry and rice in Kolkata.
“We eat meat, fish and rice,” Thakur told reporters. He stated that the BJP has its government in 16 states, and the NDA in 20 states. “There are no restrictions anywhere on anyone’s language, food and worship,” the BJP MP said. Thakur also accused the West Bengal Chief Minister of “spreading fear and rumours”.
“Mamata Banerjee has not achieved anything in the last 15 years. That is why she is spreading fear and rumours. She was not able to stop infiltration and corruption, she was not able to provide jobs or secure women, and now she is spreading lies,” the BJP MP said. He further added: “May 4, Aji, TMC Jayji.“
‘Fish’ politics in Bengal: TMC’s offer versus BJP’s clarification
After Mamata accused the BJP, the party tried to clarify its stand on the fish and meat issue several times during its election campaign.
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The BJP’s state unit and high leadership have provided evidence, with a video of BJP candidate Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay campaigning with a fish dangling from his hand going viral. When asked about this, BJP state unit president Samik Bhattacharya said the aim of that campaign was to “counter the TMC”. “Most people in (West) Bengal eat non-vegetarian food and even the BJP leadership consumes non-vegetarian food,” Bhattacharya said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also clarified his party’s stance, saying that the TMC is “spreading rumours” and that “the consumption of fish and eggs will not stop” if the BJP is elected to power in West Bengal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a public rally in Haldia, also made a promising pitch to make the state adequate in fisheries and seafood sector. Prime Minister Modi said the TMC-led government had failed to match fish production with the high demand in the state.
TMC chief Mamata, at a rally in North 24 Parganas district, responded to Prime Minister Modi’s proposal. “I heard that today, he (the Prime Minister) said that there is no fish production in Bengal, while Bihar produces more and exports. But you do not allow people to eat fish in Bihar. Here we buy fish from the markets and eat it,” the TMC said.
