Upping his ante against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday that the security of the Siliguri corridor has been threatened due to the vote bank politics of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Under Banerjee's regime, law and order has completely collapsed in the state, he said, adding that the TMC supremo has weaponised political violence to win elections.
Publishing a 'charge sheet' against Banerjee's government in Kolkata, Shah further claimed that West Bengal remains the only state where infiltrators are entering India only to create disturbance across the country. He said infiltration has become a huge issue for the national security, pointing out that the upcoming assembly elections are not only crucial for West Bengal, but for the entire country.
"In this chargesheet, we have thoroughly highlighted the problem of infiltrators. It is not only a matter of concern for the country's security, but they also encroach upon the wages of our poor labourers... I want to ask Mamata Banerjee, so many infiltrators have come today, is your government asleep?" Shah said.
"You (Mamata Banerjee) have very little time; on May 6th, the BJP government will be formed, and within forty-five days, the BJP government in Bengal will provide all the help related to fencing, and we will stop the infiltration," he added.
In the 'charge sheet', the union home minister alleged that the TMC has looted the people of West Bengal, saying that the ruling party has turned the state into a laboratory of corruption. He further said that the people of Bengal understand that Banerjee is playing the victim card and abusing constitutional bodies such as the Election Commission of India (ECI), which is not a part of the Indian culture.
"Mamata Banerjee has always played the politics of the victim card. At times, she gets her leg broken; at other times, she has her head bandaged; sometimes she falls ill; and then again, she stands before the Election Commission feigning helplessness while hurling abuses at the institution. But I have come to tell her that the people of Bengal have now thoroughly understood this politics of the victim card," the BJP leader said.
Elections in West Bengal will be held in two phases: April 23 and 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 4.
