KOLKATA: Exuding confidence that Mamata Banerjee will lose in Nandigram, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said a huge number of people voted for the BJP in the first two phases, which can be seen as an indication of the TMC government’s derailment.
‘’People have voted in large numbers in favour of the BJP in the first two phases. It is now confirmed that TMC-led Bengal government will be unseated. Mamata didi will lose in Nandigram and our candidate Suvendu Adhikari will win,’’ said Shah while addressing a rally in Sitalkuchi, Cooch Behar. Shah claimed BJP would win 50 of the 60 seats where polls have been conducted so far.
“She runs her government on a 3T model which is tolabaji (extortion), tanashahi (dictatorship) and tushtikaran (appeasement). After coming to power, we promise governance on 3Vs which will be vishwas (faith), vikas (development) and vyapar (trade),’’ said Shah.
In an apparent attempt to retain BJP’s support in north Bengal, which was reflected in the 2019 Lok Sabha
elections, Shah accused the TMC regime of doing injustice to the region and fuelling political violence.
‘‘Didi, herself, is aware how unpopular she is in north Bengal. She knows what she has done. She even refused to contest from any seat here. I promise the BJP will free north Bengal from political violence.
Mamata Banerjee’s government turned a blind eye to the region’s development.” In the 2019 elections, BJP had won seven of the eight Lok Sabha seats from the region. “Cooch Behar is 700km from Kolkata, but it is 7,000km away from Didi’s heart. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured a grant of `22 crore for construction of roads in Sitalkuchi, but the project was not implemented by this government. Many people are involved in tobacco farming in north Bengal, but the CM did nothing to ensure the right price for the produce,’’ Shah lashed out.