BJP could have used the development card, Mamata Banerjee said (File)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday described her Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath's recent "goli-boli" remark as "hate politics". She also claimed that the BJP is playing the "communal card" in the Delhi assembly election because it has nothing to speak about on the development front.
"How can he (the CM of UP) say 'Boli se nahi manega toh goli chala do' (If someone doesn't understand with dialogue then open fire)? I have never heard such remarks before. A Union minister (Anurag Thakur) has also said something similar. They are just indulging in hate politics...The country is going through a dangerous situation," she was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
Yogi Adityanath, one of the BJP's star campaigners for the Delhi election, was addressing a rally in the national capital last week when he recalled how he had arranged for flower petals to be showered on Kanwariyas. He said officials had said this would lead to chaos and riots. To this, Yogi Adityanath said he responded by saying the government will not obstruct anyone's festivals. "We do not obstruct anyone's festival or faith. Let everyone celebrate festivals within the framework of the law. Lekin Shiv bhakto par goli chalayega koi vyakti, danga karayega, boli se nahi manega toh goli se toh maan hi jayega (If anyone opens fire at devotees of Lord Shiva, causes riots...If they don't listen to talks, they will surely listen to bullets.)
BJP MP Anurag Thakur had also triggered a controversy when at a rally in Delhi last week, he was seen chanting "desh ke gaddaron ko", to which the crowd enthusiastically replied "Goli Maaro Sa***n Ko"; the entire chant translates to "shoot down the traitors who betray the country".
Ms Banerjee, who is among the fiercest critics of the BJP, said the party is left with no agenda.
"Voters in Delhi are about to exercise their franchise, and with no agenda left, they (BJP) are playing the communal card. I am not sure why they would do this... They could have used the development card or for that matter the economic or humanity card," Ms Banerjee added.
The BJP has made Shaheen Bagh- the epicenter of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in Delhi- its main issue for the Delhi election. The party has asked people of Delhi to show their disapproval to the protest by voting for the BJP on February 8.
With inputs from PTI