The BJP on Monday hit out at Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that her administration disallowed an Amit Shah roadshow in Calcutta's Jadavpur constituency.
Shah was scheduled to hold the meeting in Baruipur, which is in the Jadavpur constituency.
There were initial reports that the state administration had dithered in granting permission for Shah's helicopter to land. However, there is no official word on this from the Bengal government. Some TV channels said in the afternoon that while Shah was given permission to land, the permission to hold a meeting in the constituency was held back.
BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi urged the Election Commission to take cognizance of the development, saying the Bengal government wanted to reduce the poll panel to a mute spectator.
'This is murder of democracy. The EC should take cognizance of the matter. If important leaders are not allowed to hold rallies then what is the meaning of elections,' Javadekar said.
Earlier, permission to a Shah rathyatra was denied in Bengal last December by Calcutta High Court. Two district administrations denied permission to Yogi Adityanath's chopper to land for a public meeting in February.
Mamata's dictatorship is in full play in the state, Javadekar said, criticising the Trinamul president. The denial of permission reflected her frustration over growing support for the BJP, the minister said, claiming that people who had elected Mamata were now determined to defeat her.
BJP media head and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni said his party will hold protests against the denial of permission for Shah's rally. 'It is unfortunate that the EC has become a mute spectator to all this as well as the use of violence by the TMC in the state,' he said.
Nine seats will go to polls in Bengal in the last phase of the general elections.
Shah dares Mamata
Shah on Monday dared Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to arrest him for chanting 'Jai Shri Ram,' claiming that the Trinamul chief can stop him from attending rallies in Bengal, but not the BJP's victory march in the state.
Addressing a rally at Canning in Joynagar Lok Sabha constituency, he said: “Mamatadi gets angry if someone chants 'Jai Shri Ram'. I am chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' here today, if you (Mamata) have the guts, arrest me. I will be in Kolkata tomorrow.”
A video clip showing Mamata fuming at people for chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' in Ghatal Lok Sabha seat went viral on social media recently. Hitting out at the TMC government for denying him permission to land his chopper at Baruipur in Jadavpur Lok Sabha seat, Shah said: “The Mamata Banerjee government is visibly perplexed. She wants to stop me from attending rallies. Can you (Mamata) prevent your defeat this way?
'Trinamul can stop me from attending rallies but can't stop the victory march of the BJP in Bengal.'
Lashing out at Mamata for allegedly running a 'syndicate raj' in the state, the BJP president claimed that the Trinamul works to benefit the chief minister's nephew, Abhishek Banerjee. 'Earlier, it was syndicate tax, now it has been replaced by nephew tax. We have to throw out this corrupt government of bua-bhatija (aunt and nephew). We will defeat this corrupt regime,' he stated.
