Mamata Banerjee govt 'welcomes infiltrators, Rohingya' but has no place for refugees, says Amit Shah at rally in Bengal's Contai

East Midnapore: BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday demanded that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee should clear her stand on the Citizenship Amendment Bill, while accusing that her government welcomes infiltrators but has no place in the state for refugees.

Addressing a public rally, Shah said, "I would like to ask Mamata ji if she will support Citizenship Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha or not, and tell that to people of Bengal. They welcome infiltrators and Rohingya but there's no place here for the refugees who come to save themselves! I would like to tell all the refugees in Bengal that BJP and Narendra Modi government will grant them the citizenship."

BJP chief Amit Shah at a meeting in West Bengal's Contai. Twitter/@AmitShah

Asserting that no state can progress unless the roots of democracy are strengthened, he said that the present generation is missing the past glory of the state.

"This land of West Bengal has led the nation for many years. It provided cultural leadership, political leadership and commercial leadership but what has happened to that Bengal? Where did shonar Bangla go? Bengalis in India are searching for it. All are looking towards Bengal...For this nation, it might be an election to make Modi ji PM once again but for Bengal, the election means to re-build "shonar Bangla","said Shah.

He also criticised the state government for creating an obstruction in BJP's planned Yatras. He said, "I want to ask people of West Bengal, does a political party have a right to campaign or not? BJP wanted to reach out to the people by taking out five raths to all villages. But we were not allowed to go to people and meet them. I want to tell Mamata Banerjee that no matter how hard she tries to stop us, BJP workers will go to each home and village to propagate the message of lotus. She can’t stop us because there is democracy in the country."

Shah also challenged the West Bengal chief minister that if she has to vent out anger she should do it take it out on him rather than on officials.

He said, "I have been told that the ADM of this region was transferred at midnight yesterday because he didn't stop the buses for the rally. I want to ask the Mamata as to why is she taking out the anger on the ADM, if she wants to vent out her anger, I am standing here and I am not afraid."

Referring to the incidents of the alleged murder of BJP party workers, Shah intensified his attack on the state government and called upon people to "strive for a change".

"They can do as many transfers as they want but BJP workers will go to people of Bengal and would reinstate democracy in the state. If they keep on transferring administrative officials like this because of the large crowd gathering in the BJP rallies, there will soon be no District Magistrate left in the state," he said.

"People of the state want a change now. Over 65 party workers of BJP have been killed here. Their only fault is that we oppose the syndicate of the Mamata Banerjee and we oppose their anarchism," he added.

The BJP had earlier alleged that the TMC government in West Bengal tried to obstruct party president Amit Shah's rally in Jhargram amid reports that Shah's chopper was not allowed to land in the district. The government approved the chopper to land at a nearby helipad on 23 January.

In December, 2018, the BJP's proposed Rath Yatra was refused permission by the state government citing intelligence reports of possible communal violence.