BJP accuses Mamata of resorting to vote bank politics on Eid, TMC counters charges

Kolkata: The BJP on Thursday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of resorting to vote bank politics on the occasion of Eid and trying to polarise the society.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya said people wanted to hear the chief minister's plan for the economic uplift of all communities but instead, she attempted to "sow the seeds of division" among people.

“Instead of spreading the message of amity, brotherhood among the Muslim brethren at the gathering on Red Road, the CM tried to sow the seeds of division and polarisation for her narrow vote bank politics," Bhattacharya alleged.

Addressing a gathering here on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, Banerjee claimed that some people will try to "engineer riots" during elections and urged those who participated in the programme "not to fall prey to the plot".

Eid-ul-Fitr marks the culmination of the fasting month of Ramzan.

"We will not accept the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Register of Citizens and Uniform Civil Code. If we will live unitedly, nobody will be able to cause harm to us," Banerjee said while addressing the gathering on the Red Road.

The BJP leader said the chief minister should unveil a roadmap to develop West Bengal which belongs to all communities and improve their economic conditions.

"Instead of speaking about ways to stop the migration of youths, including Muslims, from Bengal to other states, she tried to pit one community against another ahead of other religious festivals. This is dangerous politics and we call upon people of the state not to fall prey to the machinations of TMC supremo,” the BJP state spokesperson said.

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Trinankur Bhattacharya said that the CM only pointed out the “hatred-filled, divisive, communal agenda of BJP-RSS which are using central forces to disrupt the communal amity in Bengal".

“We don’t need the the BJP’s advice. The chief minister is with the people around the year. She is one leader who does ‘chokshudan’ (drawing the eye of idols) of Maa Durga at pandals, inaugurates pujas, participates in Chhat festival and attends the Eid congregation.

"She also attends the iftar gatherings in the run-up to the festival. The chief minister participates in Christmas in churches and the festival of the Sikh community at Gurudwara," Bhattacharya, the state president of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad, told PTI.

Labourers have been forced to migrate to other states because of the "policy of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and its discriminatory attitude toward West Bengal", he added.