Haryana minister likens Mamata Banerjee to demoness Taadka

New Delhi, Feb 4: Amid tussle between the CBI and the West Bengal government over the Saradha chit fund scam probe, Haryana Minister Anil Vij has likened Mamata Banerjee to a demoness from epic Ramayana, 'Taadka'.

He said Banerjee posing hurdles for the BJP to organise rallies in West Bengal is like demoness 'Taadka' disrupting sages from performing 'yagnas' (a religious ritual) in the Ramayana.

Vij is not new to controversies. Last year, he had compared Congress chief Rahul Gandhi with the dangerous Nipah Virus. He had also once described iconic Taj Mahal as a beautiful graveyard.

"Chhotey hote they, jab Ram leela dekhne jaya karte they to usmein ek scene aaya karta tha ki Rishi-muni jab yagya kiya karte they to Taadka aake usmein vyavdhaan daal diya karti thi, theek usi prakar ka role Mamata Banerjee kar rahi hai. (As kids we used to watch Ram Leela, and in that there used to be a scene in which Taadka used to disrupt yagyas peformed by sages. Mamata Banerjee is also acting in the same way)," Anil Vij told news agency ANI.

"Chahe Yogi Adityanath ji ki rally ho, chahe Amit Shah ji yatra nikaalna chahte ho usmein rukawat daalti hai. Kabhi kisi ka helicopter rokti hai, isliye poori tarah se Mamata Banerjee wahi kar rahi hai jo Taadka kiya karti thi. (Whether its Yogi Aadityanath's rally, or Amit Shah's yatra, she creates hurdles. So, Mamata Banerjee is doing exactly what Taadka used to do)," he added.

Taadka was a mythical demoness from the epic Ramayana who was slayed by Lord Rama. According to the epic, Taadka was an ugly and fierce figure who used to harass the rishis (sages) and destroy their Yagnas (religious ritual).

The West Bengal government on Sunday denied permission for Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath's helicopter to land in the state ahead of a poll rally. Adityanath's helicopter was to land at Balurghat in North Dinajpur near Malda, where he was to address a rally at 10:30 am, but it was not allowed.

Earlier, the West Bengal government had denied permission for the BJP president Amit Shah's chopper to land in Malda district. He eventually held a rally there in January.