Babul Supriyo took a swipe at Mamata Banerjee for objecting to "Jai Shri Ram" slogans
Union Minister Babul Supriyo pressed on with his attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after she objected to BJP supporters shouting "Jai Shri Ram" over what she claimed was the BJP trying to "create unrest in West Bengal by mixing religion with politics".
"She is an experienced politician but her behaviour is abnormal and bizarre," the junior Environment Minister told news agency ANI. "She should keep in mind the dignity of the post she holds. She should take a break for a few days. She's rattled by BJP's presence in Bengal," said Mr Supriyo, who defeated the Trinamool Congress's Moon Moon Sen in Asansol in the national election.
Ms Banerjee has said she does not have a problem with the slogan "Jai Shri Ram" but the way in which it is being used by BJP workers to "create unrest in West Bengal by mixing religion with politics".
BJP supporters have been confronting Trinamool Congress leaders - even the Chief Minister herself - by shouting the religious slogan after the BJP made inroads in Bengal in the national election.
The BJP won 18 seats across West Bengal, gaining 16 over the 2014 general elections, while the Trinamool Congress scored marginally better with 22. The results are being seen as a harbinger of pitched battles that could happen in the assembly and local elections in the state.
Slogan row: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the BJP is "mixing religion with politics" in Bengal
"She (Ms Banerjee) is the cause for so many memes on social media. It is not good for anyone. From my constituency Asansol, we will send 'get well soon' cards to Mamata Banerjee. Something is definitely not well with Didi, and she needs to answer that," Mr Supriyo said, referring to the party's plan to send 10 lakh post cards with Jai Shri Ram written on them to the Trinamool Congress chief.
The latest confrontation between people chanting "Jai Shri Ram" and Ms Banerjee last week was outside the house of a BJP worker in Barrackpore, where Trinamool leaders were holding a meeting.
On a Facebook post on Sunday, Ms Banerjee said she respects slogans invoking Lord Ram, but is against the BJP using them in a "misconceived manner". "This is a deliberate attempt to sell hatred ideology through vandalism and violence, which we must oppose together. One can fool some people sometimes, but cannot fool all the people all the time," the Facebook post read.