Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders reacted sharply to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s attack on West Bengal during the virtual Jan Samvad rally. Shah attacked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the issue of migrant labourers saying Mamata insulted them by calling Shramik Special trains as corona express. TMC MP Derek Obrien responded by saying it is the Centre that is running the Railways. “Who runs the Railways? If trains were run properly, lives could have been saved, but migrant workers were transferred like cattle. This is the harsh reality, no planning by Modi and Shah,” said Derek Obrien.
Derek also attacked the Union Home Minister’s statement on violence in West Bengal. “Bengal is the only state in the entire country where the culture of political violence is flourishing,” said Amit Shah. Shah also raised the issue of West Bengal not joining the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. “Ayushman Bharat changed lives in his virtual speech. What scares us is that he is the Home Minister of India. It started in 2018 while in Bengal we had the SasthyaSathi scheme in 2016. The state bears the cost and empowers women. 1.5 crore families benefit from this. Mr. Shah, this can be said at a street side rally by a small leader, but saying all this in a broadcast?” retorted Derek.
While Shah also brought up Mamata opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he also lashed out at the West Bengal Chief Minister for her comment when the Modi government took bold steps in the aftermath of the Uri and Pulwama attacks.
The TMC refuted claims of Shah’s accusations of corruption in West Bengal in the aftermath of cyclone Amphan. Meanwhile, TMC through their Twitter handle has lashed out at Shah. “@AmitShah, someone who’s himself put the inclusivity of India in danger, talks about ‘restoring’ the culture of #Bengal. Doesn’t he remember, it was @MamataOfficial who restored the statue of Vidyasagar, vandalised by his men in front of his own eyes. #BengalRejectsAmitShah” read the tweet. In May 2019, the statue of social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was vandalized during a rally by Amit Shah in Vidyasagar College, after clashes broke out between BJP and TMC supporters. The TMC referred to BJP as an outsider who don’t understand the culture of West Bengal.
Earlier in the day Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress over the alleged culture of political violence that has been continuing across the state ever since the Mamata Banerjee-led government stormed to power.
"Over 100 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers have been killed in political violence in the state since 2014. Their sacrifice will not go in vein. We not only want to expand our political influence in Bengal, but we also want to rid Bengal of the violent political environment under the Trinamool regime," Shah told during a virtual 'Jan Samvad Rally'.
