Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) head JP Nadda on Thursday accused West Bengal Prime Minister Mamata Banerjee of scheduling the Covid-19 shutdown in the state last month to coincide with the launch of temple construction. Ram in Ayodhya on August 5 and raise it up for Eid.
“By imposing the blockade, she [Banerjee] crushed the desires of millions of people. It’s a different matter that the lockdown was lifted [for] Eid on August 31 … This is a policy of appeasement. This policy of appeasement of vote banks must be exposed, ”Nadda said in her speech to BJP workers via videoconference.
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The West Bengal government imposed a statewide lockdown for seven non-consecutive days in August to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The BJP has been optimistic about its prospects in the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections since its performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Its share of votes in the state rose to more than 40% in 2019 from a mere 2% in 2011 assembly polls. The BJP won 18 out of 42 seats in West Bengal’s Lok Sabha to emerge as the second-largest party after ruling the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the state.
The BJP has repeatedly targeted the TMC government for its “vote banking policy” in the state, where Muslims make up 27% of the population. In 2017, the BJP targeted TMC for imposing restrictions on idol immersion during Durga Puja celebrations as it coincided with Muharram. Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar when Muslims hold processions to mourn the murder of the Prophet’s grandson, Hussain, and other members of his family at the Battle of Karbala in the 7th century.
Nadda attributed the “blessings the BJP received from the people of Bengal” to the rise of the party in the state, with the vote share rising from 2% in 2011 to 18% in 2014 and more than 40% in 2019.
“… This is how we have to proceed and dispose of the TMC. Mamata Banerjee knows that the ground under her feet has changed. She knows that people are ready to receive the Lotus [BJP’s electoral symbol] in West Bengal “.
Nadda accused Banerjee of blocking the implementation of schemes like Ayushman Bharat that benefit the poorest of the poor. “Almost 45 million people in West Bengal have been deprived of up to Rs 5 lakh [500,000 insurance cover] that the scheme offers, ”he said.
Nadda said the state government has not even shared the list of farmers eligible to receive three quotas of 2,000 rupees annually in their accounts under Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi’s scheme. “She has not let Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana [crop insurance scheme] be implemented in West Bengal … is it not your duty to care about the fate of farmers? She changed her name from Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana [housing scheme]… the money comes from the Center but she has put her stamp on the plan. “
Nadda said that Banerjee was not even sharing Covid-19 data. “They detained a team who had come from Delhi to collect data even when the bodies were left unattended. This is Mamata Banerjee’s anti-humanism ”.
He referred to the political assassinations in the state and said that the policy of criminalization is being promoted and people are being intimidated. “… But in the elections, it is the same people who will raise their voices and send you home and bring the BJP to power.”
TMC lawmaker Saugata Roy dismissed Nadda’s comments as community statements. “Enforcing the blockade or canceling it has nothing to do with a program that took place in another state. The blockade is imposed or withdrawn by a government based on administrative convenience and on the advice of experts. “
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