KOLKATA: The BJP’s victory crusade would not be complete without winning the West Bengal Assembly poll, party president Amit Shah said on Sunday, adding that the countdown to the ruling Trinamool Congress’ collapse had begun.
“Our electoral victories in Maharashrtra, Haryana and the near future success in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir would have no meaning till we win Bengal. We will start with winning the Kolkata civic polls in May next and conclude the success story with the 2016 Assembly polls.
“People want to end the jungle rule here and establish a government, which will hang the culprits of Burdwan blast and punish the guilty in the Saradha chit fund scam,” Shah said, indicating that the NIA and CBI investigations into the respective cases would be further strengthened.
He predicted another “poribartan” (change) in West Bengal, which had seen 34 years of Left rule and three-and-a-half years of TMC rule, both devoid of any development activities.
In his 30-minute speech in front of the Victoria House, where the TMC each year holds its Martyrs’ Day rally, Shah challenged Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee to state whether the Saradha chit fund money was black or white. “Your MPs are wearing black shawls and holding umbrellas in Parliament against black money. I challenge you to state whether Saradha chit fund money was black or white. Let Didi say those who are being nabbed by the CBI are innocent,” he said.
Shah also asked Mamata why she wasn’t holding an indefinite fast, as she did for the cause of Singur farmers, demanding punishment of those guilty in the Saradha scam.
Referring to the state government’s bid to prevent the BJP from holding the meeting in front of the Victoria House, Shah said, “Didi cannot wipe out the BJP from the people’s minds in Bengal. The countdown for the TMC’s collapse has begun and November 30 next will be the TMC’s day of downfall, as the people will uproot the ruling party from the state. The people of Bengal want to be connected with the developmental programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and for that a BJP government is needed here.”
Taking a jibe at Mamata over her remark that “who was Shah”, he said Shah was a small time office-bearer of the BJP and he was here to uproot the TMC from Bengal.