Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday appealed to the people of West Bengal to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and ensure that it wins at least 35 out of the 42 seats in the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Lashing out at the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government for running a “Hitler-like regime”, Shah, who is on a two-day visit to the state, said if the BJP returns to power in 2024 by winning more than 35 seats in the state, “no one would dare to attack Ram Navami rallies in the state”.
“…The only way to remove the crime of ‘Didi-Bhatija’ is BJP. The only way to free Bengal of terror is BJP. The only way to stop infiltration in Bengal is BJP…Give us 35 seats in 2024, there will be no need for 2025 (West Bengal poll); before 2025 Mamata didi’s government will collapse,” Shah said addressing the ‘Jan Sampark Samavesh’ rally in Birbhum.
The ‘Didi-Bhatija’ reference is to Mamata Banerjee, who is called ‘Didi’ (elder sister) in West Bengal, and ‘Bhatija’ is for her nephew Abhishek, TMC’s national general secretary and MP from Dimond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency.
Shah further asserted that next CM of the state will be from the BJP.
“Mamata didi, you might be dreaming that your nephew will become the CM after you. From here in Birbhum, I say that the next CM is going to be from BJP. The trailer has to be shown in 2024 (general elections),” he added.
The BJP won 18 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in the 2019 elections. Meanwhile, the TMC called Shah’s remarks as “undemocratic and unconstitutional”.
During his two-day meeting, Shah is expected to take stock of the organisational strength of the BJP in the state. He is also visiting the state ahead of the Panchayat elections which are likely to be held next week.
The Union Home Minister arrived at Andal airport in Paschim Bardhaman today at around 12:40 PM.
Shah’s programme in West Bengal is part of BJP’s ‘Pravas’ campaign whereby the party is trying to strengthen its organisation in 144 Lok Sabha seats where it lost by slender margins in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.