News Analysis India

Tag: West Bengal Elections 2021

  • EC issues second notice, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says don’t care

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI/KOLKATA:  West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has been asked to explain comments during her election campaign, where she allegedly accused central security forces of working under instructions of Home Minister Amit Shah. She has been asked to reply by 11 am Saturday. This is the second notice to Mamata in the last few of days.

    On Wednesday, EC had issued her a notice over alleged appeal for votes along communal lines, saying it was in violation of the model code and the Representation of the People Act. The EC took strong objection of Mamata’s comments while sending the second notice.

    It said her remarks were “prima facie, completely false, provocative and intemperate statements… (It) attempts to berate and vilify central paramilitary forces during electoral process are causing extreme demoralisation amongst ranks and file of these forces, who have been rendering a yeoman’s service since late 80s elections after elections and have made a commendable contribution, especially in ensuring area domination and causing deterrence for anti-social hooligans by their presence,” the notice read.

    On a campaign trail at Jamalpur in Bardhaman district, Mamata repeated her accusation. “I will continue speaking about CPRF until they stop working for BJP. Once they stop doing that, I will salute them. I do not care about your (EC’s) showcause letters. You are working at the behest of BJP. I wonder why there is no violation when the PM campaigns on polling days.”

    Shah vs Mamata

    Campaigning in Kolkata, Shah hit back at the TMC chief. He said Mamata’s comments against central forces betrayed frustration over her impending defeat.

    “TMC’s frustration is evident from her speeches. I have never seen a chief minister or the president of a political party use the kind of words Mamata Banerjee is using against central forces. Is she trying to create anarchy? She should know that central forces do not function under the home ministry during elections. They function under the Election Commission,” Shah said.

    Mamata was relentless. Speaking at another rally, she claimed that Shah was trying to spark a riot in the state.

    “I have not seen such a gunda, dangabaaz (rioteer) home minister in my life. Shah is more dangerous than a tiger. People fear to talk to him. I will urge Narendra Modi to control Shah first. He is inciting riots here.”

  • West Bengal Assembly elections: Tug of war to claim Dalit dividend

    Express News Service
    COOCH BEHAR/ALIPURDUAR: Sitting on a wooden chair in his small book store, Surojit Dey was looking at the BJP roadshow marching along the arterial road of Alipurduar.

    The small town in north Bengal never experienced such an election extravaganza thousands of people, lines of decorated vehicles and dozens of musical bands. The crowd continued roaring ‘Jai Shri Ram’.

    “Look at the faces. They represent all segments of our society college students, government employees, daily wage workers. Most of them are Dalits who used to be the strength of our party five years ago,’’ said Surojit, a TMC worker.

    The narrative in the two north Bengal districts adjoining Assam Cooch Behar and Alipurduar comprising 14 Assembly seats which are going to feel the poll heat on Saturday is centred around Dalits.

    Voters from the backward classes shifted allegiance en bloc to BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls which caused panic in TMC ranks after the results.

    “Dalits decide the fate of parties in at least 20 constituencies in north Bengal,’’ said Surojit. About half of Cooch Behar’s population belongs to SCs. In Alipurduar, 48 per cent are Scheduled Tribes and 20 per cent SCs. Among the SCs, more than 35 per cent are Rajbangsi, the prime target of all parties.

    When BJP is promising to set up a battalion in para-military force comprising Rajbangshis, TMC, armed with an RTI document, is labelling the promise as a trick to hoodwink Dalits.

    Prasenjit Roy, a school teacher in Cooch Behar and CPI(M) leader, said BJP and TMC are leaving no stone unturned to please the Rajbangshi community.

    “In 2016, TMC enjoyed the support of this community, but in 2019 the party bled here because of the shift in Rajbangshi votes. TMC did not allow hundreds of candidates to file nominations in the 2018 panchayat elections and that became a factor,” he said. Roy admits that his party had encouraged its supporters to vote for BJP in 2019 to teach TMC a lesson.

    Now, it finds it difficult to bring the vote bank back despite the alliance between CPI(M) and Congress.

    “It turned out to be a wrong move. We paved the way for a party which never imagined doing well in north Bengal.” In the 2016 Assembly elections, TMC had bagged 12 out of 14 seats in this region.

    After three years, BJP secured lead in 12 of those. With BJP desperate to secure Rajbangshi votes, Mamata Banerjee is banking on a split in the community.

    In February, before visiting Cooch Behar, Amit Shah had gone to the residence of Ananta Rai, a self-styled Maharaja of the district who belongs to the Rajbangshi community and has been living in Assam since August 2020.

    Rai leads a faction of the Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association (GCPA), which has a history of leading movements often using violence to secure its goals, and seeks to carve out of the district of Cooch Behar and some adjoining areas of West Bengal and Assam to establish a state of Greater Cooch Behar.

    While addressing a rally, Shah promised that a battalion in paramilitary forces would be named Narayani Sena and a training centre would be named after Chila Rai, legendary general of the Narayani dynasty army of the 16th century.

    BJP had made this promise before 2019 Lok Sabha elections also and members of the community overwhelmingly voted for them. Shah’s announcement was slightly short of expectations, considering that the Rajbangshis have for long demanding a Narayani regiment in Indian Army.

    Souvik De Sarkar, a school teacher in Alipurduar, said TMC did not miss the opportunity to brand BJP a party that makes false promises.

    “The chief minister displayed an RTI document where MHA said it did not receive any proposal of creating a Narayani Sena battalion in the paramilitary force and she announced the creation of a Narayani battalion in the state police.”

    TMC is trying its best to exploit this crack in GCPA by bringing some of them into its fold. “It seems Mamata won over a section of the community by taking Bangshi Badan Barman, leader of another GCPA faction, into confidence,’’ said De Sarkar.

    Barman said BJP fooled the people of Cooch Behar and he and his followers highlighted it during campaigning this time around.

    He cited the formation of a battalion in the state force, creation of a Rajbangshi development board and Rajbangshi (language) academy, approval of 200 Rajbangshi-medium primary schools and state holiday on the birth anniversary of Panchanan Barma (icon of the community) among the steps Mamata has taken for the upliftment of the community. Sensing a fight, BJP has fielded sitting MP Nisith Pramanik from the Cooch Behar Assembly seat.

    “Dalits in this region are in our favour. TMC’s efforts to use factionalism among the Rajbangshis will not work,’’ Pramanik said.

    Notable rivalries

    Union minister Babul Supriyo (BJP) vs state minister Arup Biswas (TMC) in Tollygunge; Partha Chatterjee (TMC secretary general) vs actor Srabanti Chatterjee (BJP) in Behala West

    Star candidates

    Actors Payel Sarkar (BJP, Behala East) & Srabanti Chatterjee (BJP, Behala West), MP Locket Chatterjee (BJP, Chinsurah), cricketer Manoj Tiwary (TMC, Shibpur)

  • Anti-Romeo squads in West Bengal if BJP is voted to power: Yogi Adityanath

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Senior BJP leader Yogi Adityanath Thursday said that anti-Romeo squads will be formed in Bengal if the party is voted to power in the state.

    Bengal is not a safe place for women under the present TMC government, Adityanath, also Uttar Pradesh chief minister, said addressing three poll rallies in Hooghly and Howrah districts of West Bengal He said if BJP is voted to power it will stress on women and education.

    “Why is Bengal not a safe place for women?….Education and transport will be made free for girls in Bengal. Anti-Romeo squads will be formed in Bengal to deal with those who loiter around girls schools,” he said.

    Anti-Romeo sqauds were launched in Uttar Pradesh to ensure safety of women soon after Adityanath assumed power in 2017.

    West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party, the TMC have often referred to the Hathras gangrape case to mock at Adityanath government’s policing for women and the law and order situation in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.

    The top BJP leader criticised the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal and derided it for failing to bring in any positive change in the ten years that it has been in power.

    “Where is the paribartan (change) that Mamata Banerjee had promised ten years ago? he asked.

    When Trinamool Congress came to power in the state a decade ago it had promised to serve ‘maa-maati-manush’ (mother, motherland and people), which became its slogan.

    “What happened to that slogan? I have come to ask Mamata Banerjee about it. Why is Bengal not a safe place for women? This soil had produced so many social reformers. What happened to the youth of the state who have become frustrated?” he asked.

    Adityanath claimed that Banerjee has no compassion for the youth, farmers and development.

    “But she has compassion for the TMC goons” .

    Referring to the Citizenship Amendment Act, he said it had been passed by Parliament and TMC had fanned violence against it in West Bengal.

    The violence that occurred in West Bengal due to the legislation of CAA in Parliament had been fanned by the TMC.

    In UP the government had recovered money from those who indulged in violence and damaged public property, he said.

    “Here in Bengal, TMC is all for appeasement for the sake of vote bank. Mamata Banerjee supports cow slaughter. In UP cow slaughter is not allowed. If anybody is found to be involved in it, the person goes to jail”, Adityanath said.

    “TMC is not allowing central schemes to be implemented in West Bengal. Violence, anarchy and corruption have ruined the state”, he added.

    Expressing confidence that the BJP will come to power in Bengal, the saffron party leader said “after the election results are declared on May 2 The TMC goons will be sent to jail. There will be an end to hooliganism and rule of law will prevail”.

    Adityanath also iterated the need for a ‘double engine’ government the government of the same party (BJP) at the Centre and the state for faster development of the state.

  • Bengal polls 2021: Mamata Banerjee asks voters to be on guard, fears intimidation by central forces

    By PTI
    BALAGARH: Apprehending that a section of central paramilitary forces may visit villages to intimidate people, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asked voters to be on guard.

    Addressing a public meeting here in Hooghly district, Banerjee alleged central forces are working on instructions of the “Union Home Ministry run by Amit Shah.”

    “I have respect for the central paramilitary forces but they are working on instructions from Delhi. They are committing atrocities on villagers before polling day, some of them are even harassing women. They are asking people to vote for BJP. We will not allow this to continue,” the TMC chief said.

    Banerjee called upon the state police force “to keep vigil and not to bow their heads before Delhi.

    “Your job is to ensure free and fair polls, please be stern with trouble makers and keep your integrity intact.”

    Asking villagers to lodge FIRs at local police station in case of any excess committed by central forces, the chief minister said, “If the police station refuses to accept the FIRs, inform us”.

    Blaming BJP for “spreading lies about promulgation of section 144 in an entire constituency,” the TMC supremo said, “They (BJP) spreads lies to create panic. In reality, section 144 is in force within 200 metres of a booth. But they are doing this to prevent our voters from going to polling stations.”

    Banerjee asked polling agents to be vocal and to protest any “misdeed by BJP and security forces”.

    Asking voters not to turn West Bengal into “another Gujarat” by voting for the saffron party, she said, “If you wish to protect the oldest Durga puja in Guptipara, if you wish to protect our festivals like Durga Puja, please ensure the defeat of BJP.”

    Banerjee, who iterated the TMC government’s commitment to protect the heritage Rathyatra in Mahesh, the celebrations at Bandel Church, the unique Santhal festivals in Jangalmahal, chanted ‘Chandi Mantra’ while wrapping up her speech.

    Banerjee said the candidate for the reserved Balagarh seat Manoranjan Byapari is chairman of state-run Dalit Sahitya Academy.

    She exuded confidence that Byapari would always stand by the marginalised in the constituency.

  • Key constituencies to look out for in third phase of West Bengal Assembly polls

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: After the high-decibel polling on Thursday in Nandigram, West Bengal is all set to move into the third phase of its Assembly elections on Tuesday.

    The voting in this phase of elections will be held in 31 Assembly constituencies in three districts – eight in Hooghly, seven in Howrah and 16 in South 24 Parganas.

    Out of the 205 candidates for the third phase, 192 candidates are men while only 13 are women. It means only 6 per cent of the candidates are female.

    Though ruling TMC finds itself strong in these seats, an air of anti-incumbency still can be felt here. While the BJP is targeting the TMC over the issues of corruption in the Amphan relief fund, TMC is banking on its welfare schemes like ‘Duare Sarkar’, ‘Swastho Sathi’ and ‘Kanyashree’ to counter the anti-incumbency wave, which it has highlighted in its power-packed campaigns.

    Of the three districts, South 24 Parganas has a significant importance for both the top parties in the fray – Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The district contains 31 Assembly constituencies in total and is known as a TMC stronghold. TMC managed to win 29 of 31 seats in the South 24 Parganas.

    While BJP managed to make a dent in the North 24 Parganas in the 2019 elections, it failed to taste victory in South 24 Parganas. Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee won the seat from Diamond Harbour for the second time in 2016 by a margin of over 3 lakh votes.

    One of the most important factors in the South 24 Parganas is the Muslim population, which both parties will seek to draw in their favour, who have majorly supported TMC so far. The district is also infamous for intense violence ahead of polls.

    Mainly known for the majestic Hooghly river, the Hooghly district houses a significant Scheduled Caste (SC) population, out of which the Bagdi community holds a massive electoral decision. The Arambagh, Goghat and Khanakul areas of the Hooghly district have seen their fair share of violence.

    Although considered as a region more favourable for the ruling TMC, the 2019 Lok Sabha elections saw the BJP winning the Hooghly seat while losing the Arambagh seat to TMC.

    During the campaigning ahead of the third phase polls, the Hooghly district became one of the key points of power-packed campaigns from both parties due to its cultural significance. Hooghly houses many heritage and tourist sites such as Antpur Math, Taraknath Temple, Ananta Basudeba temple and more.

    Hooghly’s Tarkeshwar constituency will witness a high-stakes battle between BJP’s Swapan Dasgupta, a former Rajya Sabha MP, against TMC’s Ramendu Singha Roy and the Left’s Sujit Ghosh. Dasgupta resigned from the Upper House last month.

    For the Arambagh seat in the third phase, TMC is fielding Sujata Mondal Khan, whose husband, Saumitra Khan, is a BJP MP from Bishnupur. Mondal, a former BJP member, had decided to switch to TMC, after which her husband sent her a legal divorce notice.

    Popularly known for its iconic Howrah bridge above the Hooghly river, the Howrah district is the hub of engineering and shipbuilding firms, its reputation although got dented in terms of civil infrastructure. Having 16 Assembly constituencies, the district was considered as a bastion of the Left government until its defeat in 2011.

    Howrah is also home to a large Muslim population, which has made it a target of polarisation techniques for elections. The district also saw a large number of high-profile campaigns in the run-up to the elections.

    The districts of Howrah and Hooghly hold great significance in the upcoming two phases of the West Bengal Assembly polls, where the BJP has increased its presence in the 2019 general elections. Furthermore, several TMC members – including former minister Rajib Banerjee from the Domjur constituency – have defected from the party to join the rival BJP.

    Striving to prove that “Bangla nijer meyekei chaye” (Bengal wants her daughter), Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee played her hand on the regional cards while calling the BJP as ‘bohiragoto’ (outsider). She tossed the debate of insider versus outsider and spared no stage to launch attacks on the BJP brigade.

    The BJP also did not hold back and sent big names to counter Mamata Banerjee’s election rhetoric. The top leadership of the party including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party president JP Nadda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were the star campaigners in Bengal.

    TMC government is charged with issues of ‘syndicate raj’, ‘tolabaazi’ (extortion) and corruption in the state. While Prime Minister Modi has been promising BJP’s version of ‘Sonar Bangla’ (prosperous Bengal) in his rallies.

    Meanwhile, the Left Front, which had its dominion in these areas once, has kept its campaign relatively in low profile while its candidates held door-to-door canvassing.

    Polling for the first two phases of the West Bengal polls were held on March 27 and April 1 respectively. The fourth phase of polling will take place on April 10.  

  • Steer clear of trap laid by BJP-aided party from Hyderabad and its Bengal ally, Mamata Banerjee tells people

    By PTI
    RAIDIGHI/KULPI/TARAKESWAR: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday accused the BJP of engineering communal strife in the state to win the assembly elections.

    The TMC chief, in an apparent jibe at Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM and Abbas Siddiqui’s ISF, also called upon Muslims to steer clear of the “trap laid by a BJP-aided party from Hyderabad and its Bengal ally that are out to polarise votes”.

    Banerjee, while addressing a rally in Raidighi in South-24 Parganas district, said, “The Hyderabad man and his associate in Furfura Sharif (Siddiqui) here want to divide minority votes at the behest of the BJP, and repeat what had happened during Bihar polls.”

    Both Owaisi and Siddiqui have time and again rejected the TMC’s assertion.

    The ISF is fighting the elections in alliance with the CPI(M) and the Congress.

    ALSO READ: BJP cites audio tapes to target Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal

    The TMC supremo also urged Hindus to be on the guard against the BJP’s attempts to “instigate communal clashes” and urged them to chase away outsiders sent to foment trouble in their respective localities.

    Affirming her Hindu identity, in an apparent attempt to counter the minority appeasement charge against her, Banerjee said, “I am a devout Hindu who recites Chandi mantra every day before leaving home. That said, I also believe in our tradition of giving respect to every religion.”

    “I am a daughter of a Hindu household. I know all the mantras that are recited to worship deities such as Maa Chandi and Maa Jagaddhatri. How many of them (BJP leaders) can do that? My Hinduism beliefs are not borrowed from the BJP,” she said.

    Taking a dig at saffron party leaders who visited homes of Dalit voters and had luncheons with them, she said, “I am a Brahmin. But my all-time associate is a Scheduled Caste woman who takes care of all my needs. She also cooks food for me.”

    “I need no advertisement, unlike those who bring five-star hotel food to eat at the courtyard of a Dalit home. In reality, they are the ones who are by nature anti-Dalit, anti-backward caste and anti-minority,” she contended.

    ALSO READ: Mamata Banerjee looking for second seat to contest, claims BJP President JP Nadda

    The TMC chief further said that the BJP, if voted to power, will forcing “many citizens to leave” their place of stay by implementing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

    “They will divide West Bengal and its people. Remember how they deleted the names of 14 lakh Bengalis and two lakh Biharis in the updated NRC in Assam,” she said.

    Banerjee alleged that central forces are visiting homes 48 hours before polling and “terrorising them, asking them to vote for the BJP”.

    “Don’t be intimidated. Mothers and sisters should challenge them. We have no problems if the forces act impartially to ensure fair elections but if they act on behalf of a particular political party, we will protest,” she said.

    The chief minister, who has crossed swords with her former lieutenant and BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram, alleged that there were attempts by “outsiders” to rig the elections in the constituency.

    ALSO READ: Yogi Adityanath calls for Mamata Banerjee’s ouster, says BJP to ensure women’s safety in Bengal

    “Attempts were made to rig the elections in Nandigram. One local hoodlum was accompanied by outsider goons in Nandigram as they went around threatening people. This is their pattern. However, nothing can stop me from winning handsomely.

    “They had brought goondas from Bihar and planned to surround me with petrol bombs but the people of Nandigram foiled that bid as they gathered in my defence in time,” she alleged.

    At Kulpi, during the second meeting of day, the CM said, “The BJP knows nothing about Bengal which worships Durga, Kali, Shiva, Krishna, Sitala with devotion, while also observing Eid with equal fervour.”

    Asserting that it was a matter of shame that “people like Amit Shah are addressing meetings on the land of Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Swami Vivekanada and Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar”, she said, “Whosoever attends public meetings called by these rioters, killers of humanity should be ashamed of themselves.

    “Do you (people) have to attend a BJP meeting if you are offered Rs 500?” She claimed to have received a video clip where a man is seen saying that he voted for the BJP after being given puffed rice, sweets and Rs 500 in cash.

    ALSO READ: ‘Didi now looking for place outside Bengal’ – Modi hits back at TMC’s 2024 Varanasi ‘challenge’

    “On one hand, the BJP has hiked LPG prices, and on the other they are distributing ill-gotten money from PM Cares Fund, Notebandi,” Banerjee said.

    Slamming the BJP government at the Centre for hiking small savings interest rate one day only to “withdraw it the next morning”, she said the decision was taken with an eye on elections in five states.

    Noting that she has come to know that the wife of a severely thrashed TMC worker in Nandigram is worried as “BJP goons have threatened to kidnap their daughter”, Banerjee said, “A Muslim family in her neighbourhood has given them shelter, and that had once again brought to the fore the underlying harmony between Hindus and Muslims in Bengal.

    “The BJP does not represent real Hindus, they are a party of rioters, murderers,” she said.

    Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent visit to Bangladesh during the elections, she said “it was his attempt to beg for votes”.

    She said that Modi’s designs will not succeed “as the TMC is deeply ensconced in the hearts of the refugees from Bangladesh, as they have been given land rights”.

    “Please ensure Bengal is not ruled by goondas from outside. If you have grievances against anyone, please keep in mind this is not the time to vent it out by voting for them. This is the time to save Bengal, which can be made possible if the TMC is re-elected,” she said.

    Pointing out that her government stood by its people when Cyclone Amphan struck, facilitating rescue and relief operations on a large scale, Banerjee said, “We had built 30 lakh houses, evacuated people before the disaster struck. We provided relief to the affected”.

    “If some people haven’t received relief, they are exceptions and the matter will be addressed by us. What did the BJP do? They didn’t provide any real help,” she said.

    “Without offering help, you are now making tall claims. We are thieves and you sadhus?” she said referring to BJP’s graft charges.

    ALSO READ: Mamata says AIMIM, ISF paid by BJP to divide Hindus and Muslims

    At Tarakeswar in Hooghly district, Banerjee, while talking about the Partition of Bengal in 1905, and how Hindus and Muslims had together fought against the division, she said, the BJP is also trying to create division and rift” among the people of the state.

    Taking a dig at TMC turncoats, the CM, during her rally in Raidighi, said sitting MLA from the seat and actor Debasree Roy joined the BJP, as she was denied a party ticket.

    “We don’t keep opportunists in our party,” she said.

    Listing her government’s achievements, she said, “Work for infrastructural development in Sunderbans has been undertaken by the TMC dispensation. The state government has taken an initiative to provide egg meal at Rs 5. A steel bridge will soon come up in Kulpi, connecting Gangasagar with the mainland.”

  • BJP cites audio tapes to target Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Citing some audio tapes, the BJP on Saturday alleged that people enjoying “protection” from the Mamata Banerjee-led government have been running an “extortion racket” in West Bengal.

    “What has come out is so ugly that we just wish to say that Mamata Banerjee and her relatives have let down the people of West Bengal. She should apologise and seek forgiveness from people for cheating them,” BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia told reporters here.

    He was referring to three audio tapes shown in a section of the media, and said they feature people considered close to the state government, including Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

    There was no immediate response from the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress.

    “Such is the audacity of extortionists that in one such meeting an extortionist who is close to Abhishek Banerjee sat close to commissioner and was making illegal demands from various people who wish to invest or undertake a legal activity,” Bhatia alleged.

    The contents of these audio tapes show how an “extortion racket” is being run in an organised manner under the nose of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led government, he said.

  • West Bengal Assembly elections: TMC candidate Koushani Mukherjee courts controversy as video goes viral

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Actor-turned-Trinamool Congress contestant Koushani Mukherjee courted controversy on Saturday as a video with her purported comment “Please think before you cast votes, you have mother, sister at home” went viral.

    Koushani, who had joined Trinamool Congress two months ago and is in the fray in Krishnagar seat claimed that a part of her comment was taken out of context and put in the video by BJP’s IT cell to give it a different meaning.

    “I had sought to project the fact that Bengal is the safest state for women, unlike BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh where women were raped in Hathras and their parents were shot at for protesting. The BJP IT cell edited the footage for cheap politics,” she said in a statement.

    Koushani also posted a video of what she claimed was her original comment on her Facebook page in which she is seen walking in her constituency canvassing for votes and telling voters “Think twice before voting for BJP, you have your mother and sisters at home”.

    She is also seen saying, “In Didi’s Bengal women are safe. Don’t vote for BJP if you don’t want Bengal to turn into another Hathras in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.”

    Actor-turned BJP leader Rupa Bhattacharya hit out at Koushani in a post saying, “The utterances of the so called actress turned politicians like you make our heads hang in shame.”

    “An actress should have a refined taste…If you think that by making such an ugly comment you will endear yourself to Trinamool Congress workers, rest assured they will hate your hypocrisy from the bottom of their heart,” Bhattacharya said.

    Trinamool Congress minister Sashi Panja said part of Koushani’s comments were kept in the edited video but not the entire footage.

  • Yogi Adityanath calls for Mamata Banerjee’s ouster, says BJP to ensure women’s safety in Bengal

    By PTI
    FALTA/ KULTULI/ULUBERIA: Calling upon people to oust the Mamata Banerjee government, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Saturday that the BJP, if voted to power in Bengal, will ensure security for all women and create job opportunities for the youth.

    Adityanath, who addressed two rallies during the day, also said that those who had tried to stop Durga puja and Saraswati puja will be put behind bars, if the saffron party forms government in Bengal.

    “You had given 50 years to the Congress, 30 years to the communists and 10 years to the Trinamool Congress, I urge you to give five years to the BJP…We will change the face of West Bengal.

    “The BJP will stop all tortures perpetrated on the women of West Bengal. It will ensure that youths get employment opportunities,” the Uttar Pradesh CM said at a public meeting in Falta area of South-24 Parganas district.

    Raising anti-TMC slogans such as “Doo Maaye (May), Didi gaaye”, (May 2, Didi gone), the senior BJP leader also said that his party will guarantee ration for everyone, provide pension to the old, houses to the poor, while also making sure that the people of the state get to avail the benefits doled out under PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi and Ayushman Bharat health scheme.

    “No one will be allowed to play with the emotions of people. We will see to it that Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja are held in Bengal without any hindrance. Jail doors are open for the ones who wish to stop such religious festivals,” Adityanath asserted.

    Controversy had erupted in 2017 at a school in Tehatta, Nadia district, over celebration of Saraswati puja, with a section of students apparently trying to stop another group from observing the festival.

    In that very year, the West Bengal government had imposed curbs on Durga idol immersion, as the occasion coincided with Muharram, but the high court later eased the restrictions.

    Adityanath further said that properties of goons, who threaten people to have their way, will be confiscated, and they would be made to beg on the streets.

    “In the past, the situation was somewhat similar in UP. Now where are those people (goons)? None will be able to find a single one of them,” he said.

    Speaking at another rally in Kultuli, the UP CM, listing the benefits available to the people of his state, sought to know why government employees in West Bengal were not getting salaries in accordance with the Seventh Pay Commission.

    “Why hasn’t Didi implemented central schemes here? It’s for her that the people of Bengal have been deprived of the doles offered by the central government. What has Didi done for the people of the state other than pursuing appeasement politics? The TMC supremo has just one agenda promoting her nephew Abhishek Banerjee,” he alleged.

    Earlier in the day, Adityanath held roadshows in Howrah district’s Uluberia to bolster the BJP’s campaign in West Bengal, ahead of the third phase of assembly elections.

    Standing atop a vehicle, decked up with flowers and BJP flags, he waved at enthusiastic crowd that gathered along the road in the Gangarampur area of the subdivision where two constituencies — Uluberia Uttar and Uluberia Dakshin — will go to polls on April 6.

    Locals had queued up on both sides of the road and watched the procession, which inched its way through the narrow streets amid chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’.

  • ‘Didi now looking for place outside Bengal’: Modi hits back at TMC’s 2024 Varanasi ‘challenge’

    By PTI
    SONARPUR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday slammed West 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 Bengal’s “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.

    ​ALSO READ | West Bengal polls: Mamata says AIMIM, ISF paid by BJP to divide Hindus and Muslims

    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 Banerjee 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 Banerjee 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 winning Nandigram. The question of her fighting from another seat doesn’t arise. @narendramodi Ji, retract from your efforts to mislead people before they see your lies with the end of nomination in WB. Look for a safer seat in 2024, as you will be challenged in Varanasi.
    — All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) April 1, 2021

    “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 Banerjee decided to contest Nandigram on impulse “tao mein”, Modi said, sensing defeat at the prestigious seat, the TMC decided that Banerjee 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.