By the time Bengal polls begin, only Mamata Banerjee will be left in TMC, says Amit Shah at Howrah

Slamming West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday claimed that members of the ruling Trinamool Congress were joining the BJP “in droves” because Mamata has “failed the people”. Shah, who has been actively campaigning for the BJP in the poll-bound state for the last few weeks, made the remarks while addressing the BJP’s Howrah rally via video-conferencing. Reiterating his statement that Mamata “will be left alone” by the time the Assembly election is held, Shah contended,  “Mamata should think why so many TMC leaders are joining the BJP. It is because she has failed the people of the state.”

Virtually addressing a public meeting in Howrah, West Bengal. #BJPGorbeSonarBangla https://t.co/l7aA6ahVpu

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 31, 2021

Shah cancelled his visit to West Bengal on Friday citing “unavoidable circumstances” and the “situation in Delhi”, The Indian Express reported. Shah also accused Mamata of working towards “bhatija kalyan” (serving her nephew). He claimed that the TMC, which boasts of the slogan ‘Maa Mati Mansuh (mother, land and people)’, actually indulges in extortion, corruption and appeasement. Shah also stated that the BJP will form the next government in the state and bring about development. “I want to make it clear that the BJP would come to power in the state after the elections. While the Modi government is working towards ‘jan kalyan’ (serving people), the Mamata Banerjee government is working towards ‘bhatija kalyan’ (serving her nephew) in Bengal,” Shah said. Former TMC leaders Rajib Banerjee, Baishali Dalmiya, Prabir Ghoshal, Rathin Chakraborti, and Rudranil Ghosh attended the rally, The Times of India reported. Senior BJP leaders such as Union minister Smriti Irani, party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, and West Bengal BJP vice-president Mukul Roy were also present. The report quoted Rajib as saying, “We want a double-engine government in West Bengal. We want Bharatiya Janata party government both at the Centre and the state for a sonar Bangla. (golden Bengal)."  Banerjee joined the BJP in Delhi on Saturday along with a few other leaders of the state’s ruling party, after meeting Shah. Banerjee and MLAs Prabir Ghosal and Baishali Dalmiya, who was recently expelled from the TMC, and former Howrah Mayor Rathin Chakraborty, flew to Delhi on a special plane, and met central BJP leaders. “They have joined the BJP,” party general secretary Vijayvargiya told PTI on Saturday. Former TMC MLA Parthasarathi Chattopadhyay and actor Rudranil Ghosh had also accompanied them on their visit to meet BJP leaders in the National Capital. BJP national vice-president Mukul Roy and Vijayvargiya arrived in Delhi with them. The TMC, which has been facing dissent from a number of leaders ahead of the assembly election due in April-May, said that those who are leaving do not have long political history. Earlier in the day, Banerjee said he had a word with Union Home Minister Amit Shah who called him to the National Capital. “After I resigned from the TMC, I received a call from the BJP leadership… Amit Shah ji told me to come over to Delhi. He also requested me to pass on the information to five other important public figures who wanted to serve people in a better way to accompany me. “If I get an assurance on the state’s development, if I get an assurance that I can work for the betterment of people, I will join the BJP,” he told reporters at the Kolkata airport. When asked what role does he expect to play in the BJP, Banerjee said it is for the party to decide. “I want to work for the people. So whatever role is assigned to me, I will accept,” he said. Instead of mudslinging at each other, the Centre and the West Bengal government should work together for the people of the state. With inputs from PTI