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BJP National President Amit Shah addresses an election campaign rally for Lok Sabha polls, at Uluberia, Howrah on Monday. (PTI)[/caption]
Uluberia/Krishnanagar/Rampurhat (West Bengal), April 22 (IANS): In a scathing attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, BJP President Amit Shah on Monday said her government has ruined the state economically and culturally, and her party - the TMC - has become a "Terror Manufacturing Company".
He vowed to build a "Sonar Bangla" ("Golden Bengal") if the safforn party is voted to power in the Centre and the state.
Shah also accused the state's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of creating obstacles in the way of Durga Puja celebrations, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "recommended Bengal's Durga Puja celebrations be included in the Unesco World Heritage list".
"Mamata didi's party TMC now turns into a 'Terror Manufacturing Company'. She often says that her government is for Maa (mother), Mati (land) and Manush (people). In its 7-year rule, the 3 Ms have become 3 Gs - 'ghusapaith' (infiltration), 'gundaraj' (hooliganism) and 'ghuskhor' (bribery)," he said at a public meeting at Nadia's Krishnanagar.
Addressing another election rally at Howrah's Uluberia, Shah alleged that the "wealth of members of Banerjee's family, party MPs, MLAs and leaders have multiplied manifold in recent years, while the state and its people have been "ruining economically". He said the Trinamool supremo must explain "what she has done for the state."
"Bengal, once led the country in terms of culture and Mamata didi's government destroyed that picture and instead introduced rule of mafias and syndicates. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to make Bengal, Sonar Bangla, by defeating the Mamata Banerjee government which has ruined the state economically," Shah said.
The state had earlier been led to economic ruin by the previous Left Front regime, he added.
"PM recommended Bengal's Durga puja celebrations be included in the Unesco World Heritage list. Tell me, whether the Durga Puja should be listed in the Unesco World Heritage list or not. You must say whether you should have freedom to organise Durga Pujas or not. This will happen only when, Mamata's government is removed from power," Shah said .
The Sangeet Natak Akademy, an autonomous body under the Union Culture Ministry, had announced the Durga Puja festival, which is celebrated in many parts of the country, as India's official nomination for the Unesco's 2020 list of significant cultural institutions around the world.
The state government had also prepared a dossier to pitch for getting the Unesco tag for Durga Puja.
Shah accused the Trinamool Congress government of creating obstacles not only for Durga Pujas, but also for celebrations of other festivals like Saraswati and Laxmi Pujas, Ram Navami and Bijoya Dashami.
He alleged that violence between communities has been on the rise in the state after Trinammol had come to power.
Shah said incidents of booths capturing and poll violence were reported only from Bengal during the first two phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
He also said the BJP had emerged as the only party which could throw infiltrators out of the country, while others, including Trinamool and the Left parties are "helping them for their vote bank politics".
"If the BJP wins at least 23 Lok Sabha seats, the Modi goverenment would "abolish syndicate raj from the state within 90 days", he said.
Shah said he is not against the hike in stipends given to Imams (Muslim clerics) by the Banerjee government but accused the Chief Minister of not providing the same to Hindu priests.
Referring to a clash at North Dinajpur over recruitment of Urdu and Sankrit teachers at Daribhit High School, Shah said: "The Trinamool government wanted to recruit Urdu teachers even though students of the school wanted Bengali language. How long will you tolerate this?"
Addressing a rally in Birbhum's Rampurhat later in the day, Shah said the BJP government has spent over Rs 4 lakh crore in the development of Bengal but the "Trinamool government failed to utilise the funds, instead their leaders siphoned it off for their own welfare".
However, the Trinamool government's "transformer has already been burnt", he said.
"Mamata didi is not allowing implementation of Central schemes as she is afraid of the fact that Modi ji would become popular if these schemes are implemented. Her effort will go in vain," he added.