Amit Shah’s ‘infiltrator’ charge at Mamata Banerjee: ‘She skipped Ram Temple event as…’

Mamata Banerjee skipped the Ram Temple’s consecration ceremony in Ayodhya because she was scared of offending her “infiltrator vote bank”, said union minister and BJP leader Amit Shah on Tuesday.

Addressing a rally in West Bengal’s Purba Bardhaman district, Amit Shah asked the masses to choose between “parivar raj” (dynasty politics) and “Ram rajya”.

Mamata Banerjee was among a host of Opposition leaders who skipped the event in January.

“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,” Amit Shah said, per a PTI report.

Mamata Banerjee and other Opposition leaders had accused the BJP of infusing politics into religion and hijacking the event for political gains.

Among those who didn’t attend the event despite being invited were Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Choudhary.

Amit Shah said Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee were scared of the BJP. He claimed that they were not allowing BJP leaders to book hotels and cars for campaigning in West Bengal. He claimed “TMC goons” were forcing BJP workers to vacate hotels.

“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,” Shah added.

Amit Shah also accused Mamata Banerjee of “misleading” people on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). He said she had welcomed infiltrators into the state for vote bank politics.

Mamata Banerjee has said her government will not implement the contentious law in West Bengal.

“Why is she against refugees obtaining citizenship? She is supporting infiltration in Bengal, but opposes Hindu refugees getting citizenship,” he said

“Assam faced a similar problem of infiltration. The people of the state voted the BJP to power and now it is rid of this problem. In Bengal, too, only the BJP can end the menace of infiltration,” he added, referring to the NRC.

Amit Shah said the BJP has set the goal of winning more than 30 seats in West Bengal.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won 18 out of 42 seats. However, the party lost the Assembly elections in 2021.