Trinamool Congress, Cong, Left parties depend on outsiders: Amit Shah

Shah took on Mamata Banerjee for her oft-repeated 'outsider' barb

Taking on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her oft-repeated 'outsider' barb against him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accusing her of lack of knowledge, Union Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday said that it is the Trinamool Congress, Left and Congress who have to depend on outsiders.

He said that Banerjee, also Trinamool Congress supremo, terms him and Modi as outsiders but her party depends on votes from illegal immigrants.

"Am I an outsider? Am I not a citizen of the country? Didi terms the country's prime minister as an outsider," Shah told a poll rally at this tea garden town in Dooars area of Jalpaiguri district.

Banerjee's knowledge is "very little", he said.

"Let me tell you Didi who are outsiders. The communists have imported their ideology from China and Russia. The leadership of Congress too is from outside - it has come from Italy.

"And the Trinamool Congress' vote bank is from outside - the illegal immigrants," the top BJP leader said.

Shah said he was born in this country and will turn to ashes in this land. "So how can I be an outsider?"

Banerjee has been almost daily accusing the BJP leadership of being outsiders in West Bengal and bringing in goons from other states for the ongoing assembly elections in the state.

Shah said the TMC supremo "cannot deceive the people of the state for long" since BJP's chief minister for West Bengal will be a son of the soil.

He maintained that Mamata Banerjee, who has been demanding his resignation, will have to go on May 2, the day when the state election result will be declared. "This election is not about my resignation, but it is of yours (Banerjee's)."

Banerjee had last demanded Shah's resignation for the firing by central forces at Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar in which four people were killed in the fourth phase of polling on April 10.

Shah claimed that the chief minister has not raised the wages of tea garden workers, while she has been regularly abusing Modi "the son of a tea-seller".

The union minister said that all refugees will be given citizenship by the BJP and alleged that Banerjee is unwilling to give them the right because she fears that her vote bank will not be happy with that.

If voted to power BJP will ensure that an AIIMS hospital comes up in north Bengal as the people of the area have to travel to Kolkata for treatment of serious ailments.

"Modiji has come with 115 schemes for Bengal and Didi has given 115 scams," Shah said hitting out at teh ruling TMC.