BJP chief JP Nadda lashes out at Mamata Banerjee for threatening Bengal's culture

Kolkata: Flagging off the second phase of “Parivartan Yatra” in Bengal on February 9, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda lashed out at chief minister Mamata Banerjee accusing her of dividing the people of the state by labelling them as insiders and outsiders.

Speaking in Birbhum district and Lalgarh in Jhargram district, Nadda said that under Mamata Banerjee’s rule, the rich culture and heritage of West Bengal were under threat. “Only BJP can protect these. The insider-outsider culture is not the real culture of Bengal,” said the BJP president.

“Parivartan Yatra is a move against Mamata’s rule. Bengal wants change. Modi ji has done justice to people while Mamata disillusioned them. She talks about Maa, Maati Manush. Maa (mother) wasn’t respected, Maati (motherland) wasn’t protected and nothing has been done for Manush (people),” said Nadda.

Speaking at a public rally, the Trinamool Congress chief shot back by saying “Gujarat will not rule Bengal.” She also took a dig at the “Parivartan Yatra” and said that BJP leaders are traveling in busses that resemble luxury hotels.

Over the past few months, Mamata Banerjee has described BJP as “a party of outsiders” and appealed to the people to throw the party out of Bengal in the impending assembly elections.

Nadda also alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress has “criminalised politics, institutionalised corruption and politicised the police”.

BJP has planned a five-phase “Parivartan Yatra”. Union home minister Amit Shah is scheduled to flag off the third phase on February 11.

The five yatras between themselves are supposed to travel through all 294 assembly constituencies of the state. Each yatra would run for 20-25 days.

Nadda also targeted Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee and described him as a “dictator” and “spoiled son”. He also remarked that Mamata Banerjee does not believe in Ma, Mati and Manus and instead believes in her nephew.

The BJP president said the manufacturing sector of Bengal needs to be revived. “We have to take the economy out of ‘command and control’ and take it towards ‘plug and play’,” he said.

Nadda also mentioned the projects Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on February 7 in Bengal. These are a LPG import terminal built by Bharat

Petroleum Corporation Limited in Haldia and a 348-km Dobhi-Durgapur (West Bengal) natural gas pipeline.