Amit Shah pledges to stop illegal immigration and end 'syndicate raj' in West Bengal if the BJP wins the upcoming election, promising a new era of security and economic revival.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said "not a single intruder" would be allowed to enter West Bengal if the BJP comes to power in the state, and the illegal immigrants already here would be "selectively rooted out".
Addressing a public rally at Balagarh in Hooghly district on a day when voting for the first phase was underway, he said the BJP was poised to form a government in the state with a full majority.
"Today, the voting for the first phase is almost over, and this is my 30th programme across Bengal. On May 5, Didi's game will be up. The BJP will form a government in Bengal with a full majority," he said.
The result of the West Bengal Assembly polls will be declared on May 4.
Asserting that infiltration was hurting the state's economy and national security, Shah said, "Intruders are eating away the jobs of Bengal's youth, the rations of the poor, and working to undermine the country's security."
Stepping up his attack on the TMC government, the senior BJP leader accused it of fostering "syndicate raj" and burdening people with what he described as "Bhaipo tax", in a jibe at Mamata Banerjee's nephew and the TMC's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
"Bengalis have to pay 'Bhaipo' tax to the TMC's syndicate. Even to purchase cement, people are forced to pay. Say 'ta ta-bye-bye' to the Mamata government, and we will straighten up the syndicate operators," he said.
Shah also flagged the alleged decline of Balagarh's traditional boat-making industry, claiming that it had suffered under the present dispensation.
"Balagarh's boat industry once provided employment to the entire region. But due to Mamata's syndicate raj, it has shut down. Around 41 factories have been closed. I assure you that once the BJP forms the government, we will restart these units," he said.
Invoking Bengal's legacy, Shah paid tribute to educationist Ashutosh Mukherjee and Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the BJP's ideological predecessor.
"This is the land of Ashutosh Mukherjee, who had earned the moniker 'Tiger of Bengal'. His son, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, founded our party and sacrificed his life for the nation. I pay my respects to both leaders," he said.
In a sharp political pitch ahead of the next phase of polling, Shah urged voters to back the BJP, framing the contest as one linked to identity and security.
"In the elections on April 29, you have to press the button beside the lotus symbol on EVMs. You are not pressing it just to make someone an MLA or to form a government. You are pressing it to free Bengal from infiltrators," the former BJP chief said.
He also accused Banerjee of promoting dynastic politics, alleging that she wanted to make her nephew chief minister.
"The time of Mamata Banerjee is over. The next chief minister will be a son of Bengal's soil, educated in Bengali medium, who speaks Bengali, and most importantly, a BJP worker," he said.
"Earlier, Mamata Banerjee's goons used to say that you can campaign as much as you want, but they would not let anyone cast their vote. I want to tell Didi's goons that if you touch any voter, you will find yourself in the Bay of Bengal," he said.