Mamata afraid of offending her ‘infiltrator’ vote bank: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah accuses Mamata Banerjee of avoiding Ram temple ceremony to appease infiltrator vote bank.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on April 30 alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not attend the Ram temple inauguration ceremony in Ayodhya, as she was afraid of offending her “infiltrator vote bank”.

Mr. Shah, while addressing a rally at Memari in Purba Bardhaman district, said this Lok Sabha election is about deciding whether people want "parivar raj" or "Ram rajya" in the country.

"For years, people of our country and Ram devotees wanted a Ram temple to be built in Ayodhya. But the Congress, TMC and the communists didn't want it. Invitations for the consecration ceremony were sent to both Mamata didi and her nephew (Abhishek Banerjee), but they did not attend it, as she was afraid that infiltrators, who are her party's vote bank, might get offended," he said.

Ms. Banerjee had accused the BJP of trying to politicise a religious event by attempting to put up a "gimmick show" ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Hitting out at “dynasty politics” in TMC and other parties, Mr. Shah said the Opposition is “entangled in corruption” and “parivarvaad”, which stand against the very idea of India.

The Home Minister accused Ms. Banerjee and her nephew of unleashing atrocities on BJP workers, as they are “afraid” of the saffron camp, sensing that their "farewell from the seat of power" is imminent.

“Both Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek are scared of the BJP. Owing to this insecurity, they do not allow our leaders to book hotels and get cars. Even if the hotels get booked, TMC goons vacate those. I want to tell her that BJP workers are not perturbed by this. No matter how hard she tries, her farewell from power is certain,” Mr. Shah asserted.