Mamata Banerjee’s comments at an Eid celebration on Wednesday carried a sharp political message days after the national election in which the Bengal Chief Minister’s Trinamool Congress suffered a huge drop in its tally against a rising BJP in the state.
“Hindus stand for renunciation (tyaag), Muslims for integrity (imaan), Christians for love (pyaar) and Sikhs for sacrifice (balidan). This is our beloved Hindustan and we will protect it,” Mamata Banerjee told a gathering in Kolkata after celebrating Eid.
“Jo humse takraega wo choor choor ho jaega. (Whoever messes with us will be destroyed). That is our slogan,” she added, speaking in Hindi.
Mamata Banerjee has been on fightback mode after being pummelled by the BJP’s “Jai Shri Ram” chant campaign that picked up during the acrimonious national election battle. The Chief Minister is seen lashing out at groups shouting “Jai Shri Ram” in videos that went viral. The Trinamool’s counter was rival slogans like “Jai Hind” and “Jai Ma Kali”.
“There is nothing to be scared. Muddai Lakh bura chahe to kya hota hai, wahi hota hai jo manzoor-e-khuda hota hai. Sometimes when the sun rises, its rays are very harsh but later it fades away. Don’t be scared, the faster they captured EVMs, the quicker they will go away,” Mamata Banerjee said, cheered by her audience.
Ms Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress accuse the BJP of unleashing terror and violence during the polls and rigging EVMs or voting machines.
The BJP, demonstrating its growing base in Bengal, won 18 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats – up from two in 2014 – and the Trinamool won only a few more, 22.