Armed with the Citizenship Amendment Act, dangling the threat of infiltration and Trinamul’s alleged corruption and use of strongmen, Union Home Minister Amit Shah made a strong pitch for at least 30 seats from Bengal in this Lok Sabha elections.
In the 20-odd minutes that Shah spoke on Tuesday at Buniadpur in the Balurghat Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, the emphasis was on the BJP’s need to win big in Bengal.
“Will Bengal give us 30 seats or not?” asked Shah at the early stage of his speech. “When we came here (Bengal) in 2014, we got only two seats. In 2019, Bengal gave us 18 seats and we could cross more than 200 in the Lok Sabha. This time if Bengal gives us 30 seats, we can cross the 370-mark, will it happen or not?”
In 2014, the BJP-led by Narendra Modi had come to power with 282 seats, despite a poor showing in Bengal. Five years later the BJP’s tally from Bengal jumped to 18 out of the 42 in Bengal and the party’s overall seat share was 303.
The BJP’s electoral achievements in 2019 in Bengal had raised the party’s hopes of coming to power in Bengal, as it had in Assam and Tripura. The 2021 Assembly polls however came a cropper for the BJP as the party’s seats were restricted to 77. In the last three years, at least ten MLAs have switched over to the Trinamul.
“Thirty seats to the BJP will result in the ouster of the Mamata Banerjee government. Once that happens the people of Bengal will also benefit from the central schemes. There will be no smuggling of cattle and coal, no infiltration,” said Shah.
The BJP’s big push for Bengal is understandable. It has reached a peak in several states across North-east, North, Central and West India and is looking for fresh ground to reach closer to its target of a 400-plus mark in the next Lok Sabha, in case it fails to retain the seats in states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and others.
“The problem of infiltration was similar in both Assam and Bengal. Since the BJP was voted to power in Assam infiltration has completely stopped. Don’t you want the same in Bengal?” asked Shah, addressing his first campaign meeting in the state.
Countering Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s repeated claims on applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act – the rules of which were notified recently – Shah said, Mamata was opposing the implementation to protect her votebank, the infiltrators.
“Mamata didi is misleading the people. There will be no loss of citizenship because there is no citizenship. If any Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist refugee applies no cases will be filed against them,” Shah claimed. “Mamata didi rolls out the red carpet to Rohingyas but opposes citizenship for the Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist refugees.”
Shah said the people should apply for citizenship without fear. “The rules have been framed. Apply without any fear. You have as much right over this land as I have. Everyone should apply,” he said.
The union Home minister also attacked the Trinamul Congress on the incidents at North 24-Parganas Sandeshkhali and East Midnapore’s Bhupatinagar when members of two separate central probe agencies came under attack while going to investigate suspects owing allegiance to the ruling Trinamul.
“There was a bomb blast in Bhupatinagar in 2022 where three people died. Shouldn’t those involved be arrested? The High Court asked the NIA to investigate. Mamata didi has filed a case against the NIA team to shield those involved in the blast,” Shah said.
He also referred to the Sandeshkhali incident which came as a major embarrassment for the ruling Trinamul.
“I want to ask the chief minister, Mamata didi, a woman, how she could allow the shameful incidents at Sandeshkhali to happen right under her nose year after year? For a few votes you are trying to protect those who assaulted women in Sandeshkhali? Giving votes to the Trinamul means strengthening the hands of those who assault women,” said Shah.
