BJP President Amit Shah at Howrah rally (PTI Photo)
With assembly elections up ahead, Amit Shah made Bengal his first stop after being re-elected the BJP president and launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday.
But her Trinamool Congress largely ignored him, and other opposition parties in the state, certainly the Left, said the BJP is speaking in two voices on Mamata Banerjee.
Last week, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had attacked Mamata Banerjee at a rally in Bengal on the recent Malda mob violence, but said not a word on the chit fund scam that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had used two years ago to sting the Trinamool.
Amit Shah made up for that lapse at his Howrah rally yesterday. "17 lakh families want to ask you where is the Saradha and Rose Valley chit fund money," he said, adding, "The chit fund culprits liked her painting so much, they bought it for crores. Everyone knows why... Bengal's people are not fools. They know TMC is involved with chit funds."
Mr Shah also attacked Ms Banerjee over the Burdwan blasts of 2014, the Malda violence, fake notes and arms smuggling. "Because of vote bank politics, you have made Bengal a hub of anti-national activities," the BJP president alleged.
Mr Shah also accused Mamata Banerjee of failure on industry, contradicting at least four ministers of the Narendra Modi government who had praised the chief minister during the Bengal Industrial summit earlier this month.
Top ministers including Arun Jaitley and Nitin Gadkari had lauded Mamata Banerjee's efforts to bring investment to the state.
"They say one thing in public and something else in the greenroom," said CPM lawmaker Mohammad Salim.
Trinamool general secretary Partha Chatterjee said, "Amit Shah has insulted the people of Bengal and they will give a fitting reply to the BJP."
In a more cutting comment he said, "Mr Shah says Mamata is causing Bengal's downfall. But then downfall is something he should know much about after Bihar," a reference to the BJP's humiliating defeat in assembly elections in that state two months ago.