Vote BJP to power in Bengal to stop Bangladeshi influx: Shah

BJP President Amit Shah on Thursday said his party has successfully stopped infiltration into Tripura from Bangladesh after coming to power there and urged the people of Bengal to usher in BJP rule in the state to achieve the same.

Shah said the state's ruling Trinamool Congress and its chief Mamata Banerjee had failed to curb infiltration, cross-border smuggling of drugs and rise of "Syndicate-raj" in Bengal.

"Tell me friends, can the Mamata government stop the Bangladeshi infiltrators from entering West Bengal? Tell me if they be stopped or not? If you people want to stop the infiltration, uproot this Trinamool Congress government and bring in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government here. Only then the Bangladeshis can be stopped from entering Bengal," Shah said in a public meeting here.

"There were instances of infiltration in Tripura too. The people there decided 'Chalo Paltai' (let's bring change) and uprooted the communists from power. Today Tripura is on the development path. Such stringent arrangements have been made at the Tripura-Bangladesh border that let alone people, even birds from there are not able to enter even a bit into the Indian territory," he said.

He also accused the Trinamool of helping the sand and coal mafias, arms dealers and those involved in chit fund scams.

"Bengal is lagging behind. There should be new industry initiatives here. Instead, the TMC is only promoting bomb making factories and helping syndicates, coal and sand mafia to prosper. If you want to remove corruption from Bengal, remove those involved in chit fund scams and syndicates from power, you must bring about a political change in Bengal," Shah told the gathering.

Referring to the Centre's scheme that provides rice and wheat at two rupees per kilogram to the poor, Shah said people of Bengal were deprived of aid as the state government did not allow the benefits of the Central government's initiatives to reach the grassroot level here.

"A government that sells the rice allotted for poor and eats up the money does not have the right to stay in power even for a day," he claimed.

Shah charged the Trinamool government with blocking the Narendra Modi-led Central government's bid to provide free health insurance scheme of Rs 5 lakh per family under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

"Mamata Banerjee has said the state doesn't need it. I ask the people here do you need it or not?" Shah said and the gathering responded with a big "yes".

--IANS

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