Mamata orchestrated attack on Amit Shah: Modi

Accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of orchestrating the attack on BJP President Amit Shah during his roadshow in Kolkata on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that attempts were being made to terrorise and intimidate the saffron party activists.

Addressing an election rally here in the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency, Modi said the attack on Shah's roadshow in College Street came days after Banerjee vowed to take revenge against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"Mamata 'didi' had publicly announced two days ago that she will take revenge inch by inch against the BJP. Within 24 hours of her announcement, she orchestrated the attack on BJP President Amit Shah during his roadshow. There were attempts to terrorise and intimidate the BJP supporters," he alleged.

Modi also said that Banerjee was scared by the BJP wave in West Bengal.

"The whole country saw the images in Kolkata yesterday. Today the whole nation is discussing about it. The BJP wave in Bengal has scared 'didi'. The country and the whole world can see the level she has descended to," Modi said, referring to the clashes between the members of the Trinamool Congress' student wing and saffron party activists during Shah's roadshow.

Alleging that Banerjee's Bengal was an example of misrule, Modi said the people of the state have decided to free themselves from the "autocratic rule of didi" in the coming days.

Members of the BJP and the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) got involved in violent clashes during Shah's roadshow in the College Street area on Tuesday after TMCP activists showed black flags to Shah and shouted slogans against him from outside the Calcutta University campus.

The violence also spread to the nearby Vidyasagar College, where a large group of TMCP members had camped to protest against Shah's roadshow. A bust of 19th century social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was seen lying shattered, with the TMCP activists blaming the BJP, while the saffron party functionaries pointed fingers at the Trinamool.

Modi also said that a section of students of the Calcutta University have started to reveal "the dirty politics" of Banerjee and her party leaders who were behind Tuesday's clashes which left a number of persons injured on both sides.

--IANS

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