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At Nandigram, CM Mamata recites from scriptures, refutes BJP’s outsider barb
With Nandigram having a significant minority population, Banerjee also warned the BJP not to play alleged communal politics.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee recited from Hindu scriptures (chandipath) at a party workers’ meeting in Nandigram from where she will be contesting the upcoming assembly polls while mounting an attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party for its alleged communal politics.
“Those who are playing the Hindu-Muslim card, I would like to tell them clearly that I am also a woman from a Hindu family. Don’t play the Hindu card with me,” said Banerjee.
This was the first time the TMC chief visited Nandigram, after formally announcing on Friday that she would be contesting the polls from Nandigram in East Midnapore district.
“Every day before coming out of the house I recite from the scriptures (Chandipath). Let me recite some. Tell them to compete with me on Hindu religion,” Banerjee said before reciting from the scriptures (Chandipath) for nearly three minutes at a stretch.
Chandipath is the recitation of 700 powerful slokas of ‘Durga Saptashati’ from Markandeya Purana, written as an ode to Goddess Durga.
With Nandigram having a significant minority population, Banerjee also warned the BJP not to play alleged communal politics.
“Some people will try to divide the house into 70 and 30. But you tell them that it is not 70 and 30. We are 100. There can’t be any divide between the people,” she said.
While East Midnapore, the district where Nandigram is located, has only 14.6% Muslim population, Nandigram has a larger share of Muslims. The 2011 census gives a religion-wise breakup of population at the level of blocks and census towns. Data for Purba Medinipur has religious composition of population for blocks of Nandigram-I, Nandigram-II and the census town of Nandigram. Muslims had a population share of 34%, 12.1% and 40.3%, respectively in these census units.
Soon after Banerjee announced that she would be contesting the polls from Nandigram, the BJP tried to brand her as an outsider.
On Tuesday, however, Banerjee hit back saying: “Some people are saying that I am an outsider. How can I be an outsider when I am from Bengal? And people coming from Delhi are not outsiders? Goons coming from Rajasthan are not outsiders? If I am an outsider I shouldn’t have been the chief minister.”
The TMC had a few weeks ago launched its main poll-campaign slogan 'Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chaye’ (Bengal wants its own daughter). On Tuesday, the chief minister sharpened her poll campaign saying that she was the daughter of Nandigram.
“I can forget my name but I will never forget Nandigram. The party workers are assets. If you don’t want me to contest tell me today. Tomorrow I won’t submit my resignation. I will submit my nomination only if you tell me that I am a woman of your house,” she added.
After a few days of house-hunting, the TMC has zeroed in on two houses where Banerjee could stay over the next one month and contest the polls. Nandigram goes to polls on April 1 in the second phase.
The BJP hit back saying that the chief minister was repeatedly insulting Bengal and the people of Bengal would not want anyone who insults Bengal.
“Earlier she had disrespected Lord Ram on multiple occasions. She had wrongly chanted the Saraswati mantra. She has again recited hymns wrongly in public. This is how she is insulting the culture of Bengal repeatedly. Bengal doesn't forgive anyone who insults it,” tweeted Suvendu Adhikari, BJP leader and Banerjee's protégé-turned adversary.
