Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the new West Bengal Chief Minister will be a BJP worker who was born and brought up in the state. He was responding to claims by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who said that if the BJP comes to power, it will get an “outsider” to rule the state.
“The Bengal Chief Minister is spreading rumors that if the BJP comes to power in Bengal, outsiders will rule. I want to tell Didi, that the next Bengal CM will be someone who was born in Bengal, educated in Bengali and will be able to speak Bengali… The only thing is that your nephew will not be there; the CM will be a BJP worker,” he said at a press conference in Kolkata. Shah was referring to Banerjee’s nephew and TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
He also criticized Banerjee’s statement that “women should not leave the house after 7 pm” and promised the safety of women in the state.
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“The formation of a BJP government in Bengal is of great importance. Our first priority will be to provide security to the women of Bengal and free them from fear. A country where the Prime Minister asks whether a woman should leave the house after 7 am, I think she has no right to rule. Today, I want to assure the mothers and sisters of Bengal that on the fifth day, after the formation of the BJP government, even at one o’clock at night, a young woman will arise. The girl will leave on a motorcycle, and no goons will be able to look at her.”
“People voted enthusiastically,” says Shah.
Referring to the high voter turnout of 92.8 per cent in the first phase of elections in the state, Shah said people voted enthusiastically for change. He added that the ancient kingdoms of Anga, Banga and Kalinga – present-day Assam, Bengal and Odisha – will have BJP governments next month.
“The people of Bengal broke all records in the first phase and voted enthusiastically for change,” he said, referring to the turnout that exceeded 92 percent.
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He added: “I thank the Elections Committee and the security forces for ensuring that no deaths occurred during the first phase of the elections,” pointing out that 1,278 people were injured in the 2016 House of Representatives elections, and 1,681 people were injured in 2021.
Shah praised his party for fielding the mother of RG Kar accident victim, Ratna Debnath, from Panihati Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district.
He said, “The victims of the military council’s mercenaries will sit in the council and set strict administrative rules against criminals. I believe there will be a big change in the coming days.”
