Amit Shah in Kolkata: 'BJP is not against West Bengal, but definitely against Mamata'

BJP's Amit Shah had announced his decision to visit West Bengal on 11 August in the midst of TMC leader Mamata Banerjee's scathing criticism of the Centre's National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

BJP National President Amit Shah. Photo: PTI

Kolkata: BJP chief Amit Shah on Saturday conducted a rally in Kolkata where he said that neither Mamata Banerjee nor Rahul Gandhi can stop his party from implementing NRC in West Bengal. "Mamatadi, NRC will not stop just because of your opposition. You are free to oppose. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is free to oppose. But it is our commitment that we will complete NRC in Assam, by following the due process of law, and identify all infiltrators one by one," Shah said at a rally here. Accusing Congress President Rahul Gandhi of not making clear his position on the NRC for the sake of votebank politics, Shah pointed out that the work on the document was being done as per the Assam accord which was signed by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985. Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi's father, headed the Congress government at the Centre from 1984 to 1989. "The work of the NRC is being done as per the Assam accord. Who formulated the Assam accord? It was formulated by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi n 1985.

NRC list should come out in West Bengal. Your voices to implement NRC should reach Mamata's ears. Corruption is flourishing in the state since TMC has formed government: BJP chief Amit Shah in Kolkata https://t.co/DklVA2kRqn pic.twitter.com/gP3whF3IWl

— ABP News (@abpnewstv) August 11, 2018

We want to ask Mamata Banerjee "why is she protecting Bangladeshi infiltrators?". Rahul Gandhi also is not clarifying his stand on the issue. This is because of Congress' vote-bank politics: BJP chief Amit Shah https://t.co/DklVA2kRqn pic.twitter.com/2kaeCH7NA0

— ABP News (@abpnewstv) August 11, 2018

"Then the Congress had no problem, but now for votebank politics, Rahul Gandhi is not making clear his stand," Shah said at the rally organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. This was Amit Shah's first tour post-NRC list in Assam. Shah had announced his decision to visit West Bengal on 11 August in the midst of TMC leader Mamata Banerjee's scathing criticism of the Centre's National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

How can BJP be anti-Bangla when BJP founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee himself was a Bengali. We are not Bangla virodhi but Mamata virodhi: BJP chief Amit Shah https://t.co/DklVA2kRqn pic.twitter.com/payexapivC

— ABP News (@abpnewstv) August 11, 2018

Earlier, a day ahead of BJP president Amit Shah's visit to Kolkata, posters asking the "BJP to leave Bengal" were seen put up in and around his rally venue at Mayo Road, in the central part of the city. The state BJP unit alleged that the placards with messages - "BJP, leave Bengal" and "anti-Bengal BJP go back" - were put up by Trinamool Congress (TMC) cadres, a charge denied by the ruling party. "This shows that the TMC is afraid of our rally tomorrow. The days of TMC are numbered in Bengal. The people of the state are waiting for good governance of the BJP,"  West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said. Bengal is not TMC's "personal property", the party has no right to make such demands, said another senior BJP leader. "The people of the state will decide in the coming days who will stay and who will leave," he added. However, TMC secretary-general and Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee said his party had nothing to do with the "anti-BJP posters". Here is what Amit Shah said -

• How can BJP be anti-Bangla when BJP founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee himself was a Bengali. We are not Bangla virodhi but Mamata virodhi: BJP chief Amit Shah
• Mamata Banerjee made sure today's BJP rally faces roadblocks. All Bangla TV news channels have been blacked out: BJP chief Amit Shah

Mamata Banerjee made sure today's BJP rally faces roadblocks. All Bangla TV news channels have been blacked out: BJP chief Amit Shah LIVE Coverage: https://t.co/DklVA2kRqn pic.twitter.com/DtmuSR6sJm

— ABP News (@abpnewstv) August 11, 2018

The route that Shah would take to reach the venue today was seen dotted with cutouts of party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said the TMC had put up similar posters during Shah's visit to Purulia in June and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in West Midnapore last month. The prime minister had even mocked the TMC by saying that the ruling party in the state had put up the posters to welcome him, he said. "They have done this (display of TMC hoardings) in the past too. Maybe it is their way of welcoming people to the state," Vijayvargiya said. Chatterjee, on his part, said there was nothing wrong in putting up posters and placards of their party supremo. "The TMC is the ruling party in the state and we have every right to put up posters and placards. We don't need to take permission for that," he said. (with additional input from agencies)