Shah & Irani Address Rally in WB’s Howrah; TMC Turncoats Present

Taking the dias at the Dumurjala rally before the Home Minister, Smriti Irani addressed the crowd in Bengali.

(Photo: Ishadrita Lahiri/The Quint)

BJP leaders and Union Ministers Amit Shah and Smriti Irani addressed a rally at the Dumurjala Stadium in West Bengal's Howrah district on 31 January.

Home Minister Amit Shah was to physically address the rally earlier, but had to join via video conferencing after his two-day trip to West Bengal was cancelled due to "unavoidable circumstances".

In his speech Shah said, “Didi has only given names of farmers, but has not offered any proof. If you don't give proof of account details then how will the government's aid reach the farmers?”

“If the BJP comes to power, we will extend the benefits of Ayushman Bharat. Mamata Banerjee has refused its benefits to Bengal's citizens only because it was the scheme was brought about by PM Modi,” he claimed.

Talking about the mass exodus from the TMC, Shah said, “TMC had come to power ten years back by fighting against the Left parties. With her slogan “Man Maati Manush” she had promised to bring development in the state. But what kind of development has led to such a large-scale defection in TMC I ask.”

“Leaders of Trinamool Congress and other parties are joining Bharatiya Janata Party. Mamata di will find herself alone by the time election happens. She has done injustice to the people of the state,” he further said.

Smriti Irani Addresses Crowd in Bengali

Taking the dias at the Dumurjala rally before the Home Minister, Smriti Irani addressed the crowd in Bengali and said, “Wherever there’s corruption, there’s TMC. That’s why the people of Bengal have made up their minds that TMC is going out of power and BJP is coming to power this time.”

TMC turncoats Rajib Banerjee and Suvendhu Adhikari who recently joined the BJP formally were also present at the rally by Irani’s side.

“We want double engine government in West Bengal. We want Bharatiya Janata Party government at both the Centre and state for Sonar Bangla,” newly inducted BJP leader Rajib Banerjee said at the rally, according to ANI.

Former TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari, who left the party and joined the BJP in December, was also present at the rally. “Trinamool Congress is no longer a party but a private limited company. By 28 February, TMC private limited company will be vacated, nobody will be left there,” Adhikari said, according to ANI.

Earlier on 30 January, Banerjee who’s a former state minister, and former TMC MLAs Baishali Dalmia and Prabir Ghoshal and former Howrah mayor Rathin Chakraborty were ferried to Delhi by a chartered flight organised by the BJP to join the party. Actor Rudranil Ghosh too joined the party.

The leaders met Shah at his residence who then inducted them into the party.

The meeting lasted about an hour.

The former TMC leaders had been dissenting against the party for the past month in the lead-up to their defection.

Howrah is being seen as a crucial district for both the BJP and the TMC ahead of the West Bengal elections scheduled for April-May.