KOLKATA: Union Home minister Amit Shah and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were locked in a war of words while addressing two separate rallies in South 24 Parganas district on Thursday over the issue of the former's son and the latter’s nephew.
Shah accused Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who is an MP, of siphoning off the central government’s grant meant for the people saying that after BJP comes to power in the state, it will put all culprits behind the bars. The CM hit back at Shah’s saying that his son will also not be spared for earning crores.
Without naming Abhishek, the Union Home Minister, while addressing a rally at Namkhana, said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government gave West Bengal a financial assistance of Rs 3,59,000 crore in last five years for the people. But the money was siphoned off by the nephew and his men. If the BJP wrests power in Bengal, the new government will find the culprits even if they take refuge under the ground and put them behind the bars."
In retaliation, Mamata hit back and targeted Shah’s son Jay Shah. "Every day you (Shah) raise nephew issue. Your son is earning crores of money. How? Your son will also not be spared."
Reiterating Bengal BJP’s allegation over the issue of corruption in distributing relief for cyclone Amphan victims, Shah said the Centre’s grant for the cyclone victims were stolen by the nephew and Trinamool Congress’s musclemen. "The money sent by Narendra Modi’s government for Amphan victims was snatched away by the nephew and TMC’s goondas. After coming to power, BJP government will conduct a thorough probe into it," he said while addressing the rally in Abhishek’s Lok Sabha constituency.
A few km from Shah’s rally venue, Mamata hit back at Shah while addressing a gathering in Pailan in the same district. "My family will not do anything for which the image of Bengal will be maligned. Everyone in my family is involved in politics. Abhishek doesn’t get any favour from me. Abhishek is facing their attacks because of me."
In a reply to Shah’s allegation that she wants to see her nephew as the Chief Minister of Bengal, Mamata said, "I haven’t made Abhishek deputy chief minister."