2019 polls will determine Bengal’s future, says Amit Shah in Malda

Malda, Jan 22: BJP president Amit Shah today kicked off the party's campaign in West Bengal for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with a rally in Malda. This comes three days after Mamata Banerjee's massive rally featuring Opposition leaders.

Addressing a rally in Malda, Shah said, "The election of 2019 will not only determine the future of India but is also very important for West Bengal. The election of 2019 will determine whether this govt of TMC which is killing democracy, will remain in Bengal or will be uprooted."

Alleging that the Mamata Banerjee-led government killed people in the name of politics, Shah said that the upcoming elections will "free Bengal from the tyranny of the TMC."

Attcking Banerjee for stonewalling the proposed 'Rath Yatras' of the BJP in the state, Shah said that the chief minister did not permit the rallies due to the "fear of failure".

"By stopping the BJP's 'rath yatra', Mamata didi cannot end stop the lotus blooming in the hearts of people of Bengal," said Shah.

Shah further urged people to vote Narendra Modi to power at the Centre. The central government gave 2.5 times the money given by the UPA government for the development of the state, further alleging that the money was consumed half by infiltrators and the rest half by TMC leaders.

"People of Bengal ousted Communists and you have the power to vote out the TMC too," he said.

Shah also targeted the TMC government for its resistance to the National Register of Citizens (NRC), saying that it supported the infiltrators.

"I am assuring you, bring BJP and we will not let any infiltrators enter Bengal. But these people love infiltrators, that is why they go against us when we talk about NRC," he added.

The BJP chief also took a dig at the opposition's proposed grand alliance and the TMC-led mega rally in Kolkata which was attended by leaders of 22 anti-BJP parties.

"While Modi government is developing the country, Mahagatbandhan is focused on self-development. The only motive of Mahagathbandhan is to remove Modi ji," he said.

"All the leaders in Mahagatbandhan wants a 'Mazboor Sarkar' and not a 'Mazboot Sarkar'," Shah added.

"'Bharat mata ki jai' was not uttered even once at Kolkata rally of opposition parties, they kept chanting 'Modi' 'Modi'," he said.

Bengal is crucial in the BJP's plan for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the party has set itself a target of 22 seats in the state.

The political tussle between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal has taken fresh turns after a controversy erupted surrounding BJP president Amit Shah's rally today.