Trinamool holds rally in Bengal's Purulia to counter Shah's meet

In a bid to counter BJP President Amit Shah's public meeting in West Bengal's Purulia district, the ruling Trinamool Congress on Sunday held a rally in the same area and vowed to stop the "separatist forces and riotmongers" from entering the state.

Ridiculing Shah's claims of winning more than 22 Lok Sabha seats from Bengal in the 2019 general elections, Trinamool said that the party would end up losing both the Lok Sabha seats they currently have in the state and draw a blank in 2019.

"The person, a prime accused in many murder cases in Gujarat, is coming here to foment unrest and making tall claims. He has no idea about Bengal's tradition, culture and prior situations. We want to clarify that there is no place for riotmongers in Bengal," Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said at the meeting.

"He is talking about 22 Lok Sabha seats. Forget 22, they will even lose in the Darjeeling and Asansol seats that they currently hold. The BJP will score a big zero in Bengal in the 2019 elections," he claimed.

The Minister said people like Shah who comes from Delhi or Gujarat have no idea about how much the situation has changed for the good in the Maoist-infested Bengal districts during the Mamata Banerjee regime.

"During the Left rule, these people did not have the guts to visit Jungle Mahal because at that time there was no democracy here. Many people were killed. The entire region was suffering from the dual attacks of the Maoists and Left Front-backed goons. Under Banerjee's able leadership, we have brought peace," Hakim said.

Women Development and Social Welfare Minister Shashi Panja, who was present at the meeting, said the Trinamol Congress is the only party in Bengal that cares about the lives and traditions of the tribal communities here.

"We love the tribal communities and have always respected their contribution to society. Trinamool Congress observed the 'Hool festival' yesterday and celebrated the Santhal rebellion and their bravery against the British rule in Bengal. Did the BJP President say a single thing about it? No, he did not," Panja added.

Amit Shah, who came on a two day trip to Bengal, met the villagers in Purulia as part of the party's 'Jan Sampark Abhiyan' on June 28 and later held a public meeting on the outskirts of Purulia town where he vowed to uproot the Mamata Banerjee government from the state and claimed that his party would emerge as the largest political outfit here after the 2019 elections.

--IANS

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