Veteran TMC MP Sisir Adhikari -- father of BJP heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari -- joined the BJP at Egra on Sunday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior leaders of the party.
The patriarch of the Adhikari family -- which wields considerable influence in Bengal's Purba Medinipur district -- said that he had to work really hard to rise through the ranks in the TMC, but the treatment meted out to him and his sons, of late, forced him to switch camp.
"The way our family was driven out (of TMC) will be forever written in history. We will rise against all political attacks and atrocities in Bengal. We will work under Modiji and Amit Shahji," the Lok Sabha MP said, chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'.
Shah addressed a public meeting at Egra during the day.
Asserting that the BJP does not believe in vote-bank politics, the union home minister, in a dig at TMC chief Mamata Banerjee over her "appeasement policies", said that his party, if elected to power, will ensure no one imposes any curb on religious practices.
Shah, during a rally here in Purba Medinipur district, reaffirmed that the BJP will build 'sonar Bangla' (golden Bengal) over the next five years, propelled by the party’s double-engine government at the Centre and the state.
"School teachers in Bengal were beaten up for organising 'saraswati puja'. The TMC dispensation does not allow Saraswati puja celebration in schools. The BJP, after coming to power, will ensure that there is no restriction in organising any religious festival," Shah stated.
He accused the Mamata Banerjee government of "encouraging infiltration" in Bengal.
Belittling Banerjee's monthly compensation promise of Rs 500 for every underprivileged person in the general category, Shah also sought to know if TMC leaders would seek "cut-money or commission" from the beneficiaries.
"The TMC men demand their share for every 5 anna (paise). I wonder if those close to 'bhaipo' (CM's nephew Abhishek Banerjee) would seek cut-money before doling out Rs 500 every month to the general-category residents," he said.
The home minister also cautioned people against violence and aggression during the elections.
"You (people) know very well what all happened during the panchayat polls in 2018. No one was allowed to exercise franchise. Votes were replaced with bombs," he pointed out.
Claiming that over 130 BJP functionaries have been murdered in Bengal in recent times, he said "We will hunt down the killers from under the ground."
Shah also said that his party, if allowed to form government in Bengal, will implement the seventh pay commission, "as we know this has been a long-standing demand of state government employees here."
Alleging that TMC chief wants her nephew and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee to be the next chief minister", Shah said, "Do you want that or do you wish to live in 'Sonar Bangla' that PM Narendra Modi has promised to build."
In a bid to woo the women voters, he assured 33 per cent reservation for them in government services.
"Our government will give farmers Rs 10,000 every year, in addition to the funds provided by the Centre. Also, fishermen will be given Rs 6,000 each. People will get health insurance up to Rs 5 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Mamata didi could never dish out such benefits," Shah added.
