BJP chief Amit Shah addressing a rally in Burdwan, West Bengal
Listing what he called the Narendra Modi government's seven months of achievements at the Centre, BJP chief Amit Shah informed Mamata Banerjee today that his party is coming to West Bengal next to form government.
"For 10 years the UPA government couldn't control inflation. The BJP government did it in seven months," Mr Shah said, also crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi with ending a "policy paralysis" at the Centre.
Mr Shah was addressing a public rally in Burdwan, keeping his word that he will frequent West Bengal in the run-up to municipal elections later this year and the Assembly elections in 2016.
"Now there are elections in Delhi. After that there is Bihar and Bengal and we're going to form a government in Bengal too," Mr Shah said, asking crowds to cheer louder because "Mamata must hear."
He landed in West Bengal today amid buzz that four ministers in the the government of Ms Banerjee, who is West Bengal chief minister, and one party lawmaker may quit her Trinamool Congress to join the BJP.
Ministers Rachpal Singh, Rabi Ranjan Chatterjee, Krishnendu Choudhury and Sadhan Pande of the Trinamool Congress are said to be in talks to join the BJP. The names of some others are also doing the rounds. One, Manjul Krishna Thakur, had joined the BJP last week.
Dinesh Trivedi, a Trinamool MP and former Railway minister is also reportedly poised to join the BJP. "I won't predict anything but I want to change the DNA of Indian politics - and for that, I will do whatever it takes," Mr Trivedi told NDTV today, praising PM Modi.
The BJP had so far been a small player in the state, but has made it clear that it has it eyes set on changing that. It has been building its base in the state after posting its best performance yet in the national elections last year.