Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah was welcomed in Kolkata by BJP state in-charge Kailash Vijaywargiya and Dilip Ghosh on Saturday.
Upon his arrival, youth Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers showed black flags and raised slogans against Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They also tried to block his convoy by putting their bikes. However, the police cleared the way for Shah.
Earlier on Friday, TMC workers put up posters reading ‘BJP leave Bengal’ in around the Meyo Road where Shah led a public meeting. Elated by the protest, Shah thanked the TMC workers for promoting his visit and said that thanks to TMC more people are going to participate in the meeting.
Thank you Bengal for this historic turnout at “Yuva Swabhiman Samavesh”. Bengal is a land of revolutions and today I have seen the yearning for change among youth. Bengal is ready to uproot the undemocratic TMC government, which has tarnished the image of Sonar Bangla. pic.twitter.com/SmNix1prOr
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 11, 2018
Highlights of Amit Shah’s Rally in Kolkata
Shah questioned Mamta Banerjee and asked, “how can we be Anti-Bangla when our party was founded by Bengal’s great man, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.”
While talking about vote bank, Shah said that Bangladeshi infiltrators have become the vote bank of TMC. And added that for BJP, the country comes first, vote bank comes later. Further, he alleged that Mamta Banerjee is protecting Bangladeshi infiltrators because of Congress’s vote-bank politics.
Shah also challenged Banerjee and said “Mamata Banerjee may have shut the TV channels or stopped them from broadcasting my speech, but I have confidence in my party workers. Our army of party workers will go from house to house, lane to lane, village to village, district to district, town to town, and city to city… and there is nothing Mamata Banerjee can do to stop us. We are not afraid of hard work.”
“All Mamata Ji has done is objected to NRC. But NRC is the process to throw illegal immigrants out. Shouldn’t Bangladeshi immigrants be thrown out? Look what Mamata Banerjee has done with a great place like Bengal… businesses and industries are suffering, but the corrupt and syndicates are flourishing… rule of law is non-existent, Gunda-raj is at an all-time high… you all saw what happened during the panchayat polls some time ago… Bengal was the land of literature and music… now all you read and hear about is bomb-making units and explosions… this is Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal” Shah said.
Talking about the Hindu-Muslim division, Shah said that the BJP is concerned about the welfare of Hindu and Muslim of West Bengal. Give one chance to Narendra Modi and he will take the development of West Bengal forward. If West Bengal has to develop, then the Congress-Trinamool alliance will not go forward here.
“Earlier we used to hear the sound of ‘Rabindra Sangeet’ every day in Bengal but now you hear only the sound of bomb explosions here. If you want to end corruption in West Bengal, then you will have to vote the BJP to power” Shah added.
RaGa in Jaipur
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday arrived in Jaipur to review poll preparations and address party workers and the public. This is the first visit of Gandhi after becoming the party president.
According to Congress’s Twitter handle, Gandhi will arrive at the Ramlila Maidan at 4 pm where he will address the Congress party workers and launch the campaign for the Assembly election in the state scheduled to take place in November.
Congress President @RahulGandhi will be in Rajasthan today to review poll preparations and address party workers and the public in Jaipur. pic.twitter.com/sWeFKWivjc
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 11, 2018
The focus of the visit is likely to improve the party’s strength. Gandhi is expected to take feedback by meeting the office bearers of Rajasthan Congress, District Congress Committees and senior leaders.
After addressing the rally in Ramlila Maidan, Gandhi will visit the Govind Dev Ji temple.