Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that Mamata Banerjee’s appeal to Muslims not to divide their votes indicated that the minority community had started drifting away from the Bengal chief minister.
“Didi is publicly asking Muslims to support her and urging them not to divide their votes….. Such remarks indicate that even Muslims who voted her to power have lost confidence in her and have moved away. This indicates that she is losing the elections,” Modi told a poll rally at Rashmela Ground in Cooch Behar.
Modi’s claim assumes significance in the backdrop of Bengal’s demography with over 28 per cent Muslim voters who have been overtly behind the Trinamul Congress since the change of guard in Bengal.
Till now, Modi’s attack on Mamata revolved around her alleged appeasement of Muslims.
On Monday, he came up with a different narrative and went on to further the BJP’s polarisation agenda.
“If we had appealed to all Hindus (of Bengal) to join hands and vote for the BJP, we would have been served with notices by the Election Commission. Even the Prime Minister, the president of our party and candidate (of the Assembly constituency concerned) would have received the notices. We don’t know whether Didi has received the notice,” Modi said.
A political observer said the jibe was part of Modi’s strategy to baffle the Trinamul campaign strategists and confuse the Muslim community.
“In north Bengal, the BJP is working on a strategy to divide Muslim votes in districts like Malda and North Dinajpur with a game plan to deny Trinamul the edge it enjoys among the Muslims,” said an observer.
A number of Rajbanshi Muslims, who are supporters of one of the factions of the Greater Cooch Behar Peoples’ Association, were seen at the PM’s meeting.
“Around 35 lakh Rajbanshi Muslims live in north Bengal. One of the factions of the GCPA headed by Ananta Roy ‘Maharaj’ is with the BJP,” said a BJP leader in Jalpaiguri.
The Rajbanshi Muslims, commonly known as “nasya sheikhs”, are also under Trinamul’s radar.
Just ahead of the elections, the state government has announced the constitution of a development board for the community.
