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‘Clarify stand on Omar’s demand for separate Kashmir PM’, Shah tells Mamata
Amit Shah alleged that while India, under Narendra Modi’s leadership, has been able to teach a lesson to Pakistan, Mamata Banerjee and her ilk are sacrificing the security of the nation for vote bank politics.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Thursday demanded a clarification from Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on whether she supports National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah’s statement to restore the positions of a President and Prime Minister for Kashmir.
“Mamata-didi invited all opposition leaders (on January 19 in Kolkata) and Omar Abdullah was there too. Abdullah is now saying that Kashmir should have a Prime Minister of its own. Can there be two Prime Ministers in a country? He is saying this so that Kashmir could be separated from India. I want to ask Mamata didi from this platform whether you support this remark of Abdullah,” said Shah at an election rally in Kalimpong.
Shah also alleged that while India, under Modi’s leadership, has been able to teach a lesson to Pakistan, Mamata Banerjee and her ilk are sacrificing the security of the nation for the sake of politics over vote bank.
“On the 13th day of Pulwama attack, Modi ordered air strike, and the brave soldiers entered Pakistan, attacked terrorist camps, destroyed their set up and returned. Pakistan has been taught a lesson. However, while the whole country was celebrating, bursting fire crackers and distributing sweets, and offering homage to our Pulwama martyrs, there was mourning in Pakistan and in Mamata Banerjee’s office. She was sad because of her vote bank,” the BJP chief alleged.
Shah devoted most of his 17-minute speech on conducting a citizenship screening exercise in Bengal. He also asserted that they would pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in 2020 when the NDA would attain majority in the Rajya Sabha.
Shah also tried to stoke Gorkha sentiments by naming the late Gorkha leader Subash Ghisingh and accusing Mamata Banerjee of adopting repressive measures against the community.
“Mamata Banerjee is harassing patriot Gorkhas. Because of her repressive policy, as many as 3,000 Gorkha people have been forced to leave Darjeeling. They were implicated in numerous false cases,” Shah alleged.
Though he did not specify whether the party supports the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland, Shah said, “We will look into finding a permanent solution to the hills problem.”
The BJP is eyeing its third consecutive victory in the high-profile Darjeeling constituency which was rocked by violence and a record 104-day shutdown led by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha between June and September 2017 to push for Gorkhaland state.
He also said the Modi government, if re-elected, will solve crisis in the tea industry. Though he did not specify Ayushman Bharat. Shah said that tea garden workers will be able to access no-cost healthcare up to Rs 5 lakh if Modi became prime minister again. Incidentally, Mamata Banerjee has not allowed the launch of Ayushman Bharat scheme in Bengal.
Raju Bista, a Delhi-based entrepreneur, is the BJP candidate from Darjeeling this time. His main rival is a local man and former GJM MLA from Darjeeling, Amar Singh Rai, who is contesting on a TMC ticket. The GJM (Binay Tamang faction) is supporting him.
In its manifesto the BJP said that it would find a permanent political solution to the issue of Darjeeling Hills, Siliguri, Terai and Dooars and recognise 11 Indian Gorkha sub communities as Schedule Tribes.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (Bimal Gurung faction), Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM) and All India Gorkha League (AIGL) had welcomed the announcement in the BJP’s manifesto.
The BJP boss also remarked that the TMC government had not done anything for the tea garden workers.
Incidentally, as many as 283 tea gardens employ almost 3.5 lakh workers in North Bengal. More than a dozen gardens are closed in the foothills throwing thousands of workers and their family members in great distress.
Bengal is a focus state for the BJP in these elections. Amit Shah has set a target of 23 seats in the state that has 42 Lok Sabha constituencies. In 2014, the TMC won 34 of the 42 seats while the BJP won two.
