Mamata Banerjee and Amit Shah
NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that she is going to file a ‘legal case’ against home minister Amit Shah over his ‘violent remarks’ targeting TMC workers. Addressing a gathering in Hoogly, she said: “We are going to file a legal case against Amit Shah for his violent remarks. As Home Minister, he cannot make such comments.” This comes after Amit Shah asserted that the voters in West Bengal would “reply to bombs and bullets with votes” and bring the Bharatiya Janata Party to power in the Assembly elections.“The goons of TMC will no longer be able to terrorise the people of Bengal with their bomb blasts. The people of Bengal will respond to bombs with ballots and to fear with trust,” Shah said, addressing a rally in Birbhum district.Sharpening his rhetoric, Shah said, “Let the people bid adieu to the Mamata government. The BJP will then take up the task of hanging the syndicate and cut-money promoters upside down to make them straight,” alleging entrenched corruption and a “mafia raj” under TMC rule.He also issued a warning ahead of polling, saying, “I advise TMC goons to stay in their homes on April 23… else we will pick them up one by one on May 4 and throw them in jail,” while claiming that BJP workers had faced prolonged violence under the current regime. Banerjee in response targeted Shah’s ‘hang upside down’ warning directed at TMC workers post polls, asserting that the BJP’s ‘forceful approach’ would fail to resonate with Bengal’s voters.”What kind of language is a Home Minister using? To say you will hang people upside down post-election is unacceptable. With this mindset, you will never win Bengal–never!” she said.The polling for Phase I of the assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Thursday, with West Bengal recording a significantly higher voter turnout of 91.78 per cent, according to the Election Commission.The second phase of the polling will be held on April 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.
