West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh attended a fish festival to dispel rumours of dietary restrictions under the new BJP government, accusing former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of spreading misinformation during the election campaign.
Newly sworn-in West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh on Sunday took part in a 'Machhli Utsav' (fish festival) here on Sunday, where he accused former chief minister Mamata Banerjee of weaving a false narrative about the BJP restricting consumption of fish and meat if it won the assembly polls.
He attended the event with BJP's MLA-elect Tapas Roy in Maniktala area of the metropolis in the afternoon.
Ghosh alleged that Banerjee "spread falsehood to mislead people and tried to create panic" in her campaign speeches in the run-up to the polls in West Bengal.
"Didi's (Mamata Banerjee) entire poll campaign was built on falsehood and misleading propaganda. People of the state did not buy her logic and snubbed her with a resounding verdict," Ghosh said, responding to queries by reporters.
Echoing him, Roy, the BJP's MLA-elect from Maniktala, alleged that the previous TMC regime had failed to develop the pisciculture sector, and Bengal had to rely on other states to fulfil the demand for fish "unlike" in the past, when it was self-sufficient in fish production.
The BJP government will make the state self-sufficient in fish production, Roy asserted.
On the claims by Banerjee and other leaders of the TMC about the BJP imposing a diktat on dietary habits of people if it came to power, he said, "Have you witnessed any such thing since the poll results were out and afterwards, when the new government took over? Look at the fish markets everywhere."
Ghosh also said fish and rice are integrated with the culinary habits of Bengal, and assured people that the BJP government would continue to promote the state's food culture and traditions.
Organisers of the festival claimed that around 2,000 people were invited to the feast on Sunday.