Amit Shah lying to malign Bengal's image: TMC reacts to Shah's comments in Parl

KOLKATA: Stating that Union Home minister Amit Shah was "lying" about Bengal and trying to tarnish its image, TMC leaders slammed him for his comments in Parliament where he said it was "better not to visit Bengal as he might get murdered" in the state.

Shah claimed that he was attacked during his visit to Bengal in 2019. He added that BJP president JP Nadda's car was also ransacked, further alleging that fireballs were hurled at him during his roadshow in 2019.

Claiming that Shah's allegations were baseless, TMC stated that the Home minister was "lying" as there was no attack on him or his roadshow during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls or even in the 2021 state Assembly elections.

Trinamool leaders said Shah was not ashamed to spread canards and malign the image of Bengal while sitting in Parliament (Rajya Sabha), which is regarded as 'the temple of democracy.' According to the data, Amit Shah visited Bengal and participated in at least 35 rallies during the 2021 state Assembly polls, besides taking part in several door-to-door campaigns, handing out the BJP manifesto and having lunches with local residents in their houses.

Incidentally, opposition MPs protested against the Criminal Procedure Identification Bill 2022, calling it 'fascist', which was passed in the House on Wednesday. "Unable to respond to the questions raised by the opposition, the Home minister suddenly started to malign Bengal," stated Trinamool leaders as published in news reports.

Responding to a question raised by AAP MP Sanjay Singh, Shah said Gujarat was a peaceful state where the former's party had just stepped in. "It is good that you have not gone to Bengal where the state has changed the meaning of fascism," Shah said.

According to sources, Shah is likely to visit Bengal for two days on April 16 and 17.

Reacting to Shah's comments made against Bengal, the Trinamool MPs started to protest and reiterated that he was lying. Senior TMC leader and MP Saugata Roy said: "Shah is lying and spreading canards. Amit Shah, JP Nadda and other BJP leaders had visited Bengal repeatedly ahead of the state Assembly polls. But was any one of them murdered? These (Shah's claims) are blatant lies, which Amit Shah was spreading misusing his capacity as the Home Minister."

Roy added that fascism is not practised in Bengal. "BJP is a fascist party which believes in rioting and hooliganism," he added.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh stated that after the poll debacle in Bengal, BJP leaders have lost their minds and thus were speaking irrationally. Ghosh further added that Shah was making such allegations out of frustration as the people of Bengal rejected BJP's vindictive politics over and over again.