Barasat:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a citizen of India and is free to go to court, in response to her threat over taking legal action over his “violent remarks”.
The truth will come to the fore in the court, he told NDTV during a rally in West Bengal ahead of the second phase of polling in the state on April 29. “She (Mamata) has fought 82 cases, in courts ranging from sessions court to the Supreme Court, and she has lost them all. So now, the court has also become a liar,” he said, in response to Banerjee’s allegations of misuse of central agencies.
Banerjee had reportedly indicated legal action against Shah over his “hang upside down” comment. Shah had alleged that her “goons” did not allow voters to vote, but the turnout was large in the first phase of polls on April 23. He had added that the BJP will win at least 110 of the 152 seats contested on the first phase. “I want to warn the goons not to step out of their homes on April 29. If they do, we will straighten them by hanging them upside down,” he had added.
Firing back at him at a gathering in Hoogly, Banerjee said, “We are going to file a legal case against Amit Shah for his violent remarks. What kind of language is he using? To say you will hang people upside down post-election is unacceptable. With this mindset, you will never win Bengal. Never!”
On Sunday, Shah also told NDTV that he is confident that the BJP will form the government in the state with a “full and decisive majority”. He added that the results on May 4 will silence the Trinamool Congress, which is claiming a clear victory in the state.
Shah said the BJP’s roadmap is laid out in its 119-point agenda and that law and order, female safety and removal of illegal immigrants will remain a priority. “Those who are citizens should not be scared by the term ‘illegal immigrants’, those who are should be. Why should someone who is not a citizen be allowed to vote?” he asked.
Responding to criticism from Mamata Banerjee and the TMC, Shah said political language used by opponents is for them to reflect on. “They are not my party workers, else I would have advised them,” he said.
West Bengal will vote in the second phase of polls on April 29, with the counting of votes to be held on May 4.