Days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a “militant organisation”, the Trinamool Congress on Thursday called Amit Shah a “rioter”, accusing him of trying to spread lawlessness in the state.
Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee hit out at the BJP president, referring to him as “an empty vessel that sounds much”, asserting that people of West Bengal would give him a “befitting reply”.
"He is an empty vessel that sounds much. He is being fed wrong information about Bengal`s politics, and he is indulging in big talk. All his enthusiasm will come to an end after the 2019 general elections," said the Trinamool leader.
The attack by Mamata’s party came after Shah accused the TMC of committing atrocities on BJP activists. He also targeted the state government, alleging failure in curbing infiltration and checking cross-border smuggling of drugs.
The BJP chief further ridiculed the West Bengal Chief Minister over her efforts to organise an anti-BJP front ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He advised Mamata to concentrate on Bengal, saying ground was slipping from under her feet.
The fresh war of words between the TMC and the BJP comes days after Mamata accused the saffron party of dividing people along religious lines. She had also alleged that the BJP was manipulating EVMs to increase its vote share in the state and urged her party workers to prepare for the next Lok Sabha poll as the entire country was looking forward to it.
"We are not a militant organisation like the BJP. They are arrogant and intolerant. They are religiously biased. They don't like Muslims, Christians, Sikhs - they are even differentiating between the upper caste and the lower caste Hindus," she had said at the extended core committee meeting of TMC.
Lashing out at the BJP, she said, "They are threatening to carry out encounters. Just because they are in power in Delhi, they are talking about hurling bombs. I dare them to come and touch us. We will show them their place."
