Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday slammed Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for branding BJP leaders as "outsiders" (Bohirgato) and said it is an insult to the inclusive ideology of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and principles of Indian Constitution.
Asserting that Bengals "Bhumiputra" (son of the soil) will take over as the chief Minister after the BJP is voted to power on May 2, Modi said no Indian is an "outsider" in the state.
"When the British tried to divide us, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose said - India is one, and the hopes and aspirations of every Indian are the same. Today, there is a lot of pain when instead of propagating the ideology of Netaji, TMC and Mamata Didi are talking about Bohirgato," he told an election rally at Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district.
Didi is talking about outsiders. We are all children of Mother India. No Indian is an outsider here. When BJP forms the government after May 2, a son of the soil will become the chief minister, he said.
Calling TMC a "Taka Maar Company" (an enterprise that loots money), the prime minister asked Mamata to control her "goons".
"You keep your TMC goons under check. Explain to them - Modi is here! Their bullying will no longer be tolerated. Bengal doesn't want violence and terror. Bengal wants education for its daughters and protection, respect and justice for its mothers," he asserted.
Referring to some TMC leaders' claim that Mamata might contest elections from his Lok Sabha seat Varanasi in 2024, Modi mocked the TMC boss, saying this proves that Didi has accepted her defeat.
"Didi is now looking for a place for herself outside Bengal. The people of Varanasi and Uttar Pradesh are as large-hearted as the people of Bengal. They won't call her an outsider," he said sarcastically.
Claiming that Mamata decided to contest Nandigram on impulse ("tao mein"), Modi said, sensing defeat at the prestigious seat, the TMC decided that she should enter the fray from another seat as well.
"But some sensible people then told Didi it will be her second big mistake," he quipped.
