Amit Shah accused Mamata Banerjee of cancelling his programme because she was worried for her nephew.
Supporters of the BJP and Trinamool clashed today at the venue of one of the three rallies that Amit Shah was to address in Bengal, a rally that the BJP president never attended because of much back and forth over permission to land his helicopter and also to use the venue. Amit Shah, addressing the remaining rallies, launched a stinging offensive at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, even daring her to arrest him for chanting "Jai Shri Ram". Amit Shah was scheduled to address three rallies in Bengal today but could eventually do only two. He will hold a roadshow in Kolkata tomorrow. When the BJP did get permission for both the helicopter to land and to hold the rally at Jadhavpur, Amit Shah had flown to his third venue.
Here are 10 points on Amit Shah's attack on Mamata Banerjee
The clashes broke out at Baruipur, a suburban town that is part of the Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency. As Anupam Hazra, the BJP's Jadavpur candidate, and his supporters waited for a final decision on Amit Shah's arrival, a Trinamool rally of autorickshaws began to go past the venue. Rival slogans were shouted, abuses flew and the situation turned violent. Visuals show BJP supporters attacking the autorickshaws and Trinamool supporters who were inside the autos fighting back. The police formed a human chain to keep the two sides apart.
Addressing his first rally at Joynagar parliamentary seat in the South 24 Paraganas district, Amit Shah accused Mamata Banerjee of cancelling his programme because she was worried for her nephew, the Trinamool's candidate. "I was to visit three places today, but Mamata ji's nephew is contesting from one of the seats so she is scared her nephew will lose, and that's why she cancelled the permission for our rally," he said. "TMC can stop me from attending rallies in Bengal, but won't be able to stop BJP's victory march," he declared.
But going by Amit Shah's schedule shared by the BJP, he was to address rallies at the Joynagar, Jadavpur and Barasat seats, and not at Diamond Harbour, which is where Mamata Banerjee's nephew is contesting for the second time.
"Mamata didi, I am chanting Jai Shri Ram here and leaving for Kolkata, arrest me if you have guts," Amit Shah added as he left to campaign in Bishnupur in Rajarhat. He also commented that "under Didi's rule, Durga Puja is also not given permission."
Attempting to hit an emotional chord, Mr Shah said: "If you want to reestablish Bengali in Bengal, then you have to vote BJP. In Mamata didi's rule, no new factory or industry has come up. There are only bomb-making enterprises."
The row over "Jai Shri Ram" started after a video circulated on social media showed Mamata Banerjee stopping her car at a place in West Midnapore and chasing those who chanted the slogan as her convoy passed by.
Seizing the incident, Amit Shah had said at a rally last week: "Lord Ram is a part of the culture of India... Can anybody stop people from taking his name? I want to ask Mamata didi, if Shri Ram's name is not taken in India, will it be chanted in Pakistan?"
The BJP has urged the Election Commission to act against the Bengal government for blocking Mr Shah's rally. "This is murder of democracy. The EC should take cognizance of the matter. If important leaders are not allowed to hold rallies then what is the meaning of elections," said Union Minister Prakash Javadekar questioned.
He said the Bengal administration had been denying permission to the events of Amit Shah and other BJP leaders because the ruling Trinamool was worried about growing support for the party. Mamata Banerjee's party, he said, was using "undemocratic means" to target the BJP.
In 42-seat Bengal, nine seats will vote in the last phase of the general election.
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