"They wanted to turn Bengal into Bangladesh": Union Minister Giriraj Singh attacks Mamata Banerjee's regime ahead of bypolls

Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Saturday launched a scathing attack on former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ahead of the upcoming assembly by-elections on October 6, alleging that her administration had "choked" the people of the state with rampant crime and extortion, and claimed that the ruling regime wanted to turn Bengal into "Bangladesh."

Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Saturday launched a scathing attack on former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ahead of the upcoming assembly by-elections on October 6, alleging that her administration had "choked" the people of the state with rampant crime and extortion, and claimed that the ruling regime wanted to turn Bengal into "Bangladesh." Speaking to ANI in Patna regarding the political atmosphere in West Bengal, Singh asserted that the electorate is now seeking freedom from fear and credited West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari with providing an alternative.

"What is there to say? Whether a party contests the election or independent candidates do, the public there will cast their vote. The people there are now breathing in open air. Under Mamata Banerjee's rule, the people's breath was choked. It was filled with crime and cut-money (extortion). People were scared, terrified, and they wanted to turn Bengal into Bangladesh. Today, Suvendu Adhikari-ji has created an open 'Ram Rajya' for a breath of fresh air," Singh said. The Union Minister also took aim at Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his recent allegations accusing the BJP of manipulating mandates and "stealing votes," calling the Congress leader a "robot" with a "polluted mind."

"Well, have you ever seen Rahul Gandhi speak anything positive? Because his mind itself is polluted. And Rahul Gandhi only reads as much as he is taught. In other words, just like a robot in today's world of science—it will only speak as much as is fed into it. So he is a robot; he will take only that many steps, speak only that much language," Singh said. Reminding the Congress leadership of its own political history and organisational splits, the BJP leader remarked that several regional entities, including Mamata Banerjee's TMC, originated from the grand old party.

"Therefore, he himself doesn't know that his own party split dozens of times from the time of his maternal grandfather to his grandmother. Today, even the TMC is their offspring. Which Congress it came from does not need to be stated, but it is indeed from Congress. Before levelling allegations against others, he should look at himself—was the BJP there at that time? Was the Jana Sangh there at that time? Did someone break it?" Singh asked. Addressing allegations surrounding the freezing of poll symbols during internal party disputes, the Union Minister added, "This is a system. If two of your factions fight claiming 'We are the real ones, or we are the real ones' and an election has to be contested, they cannot stop you, so they freeze it—they froze their natural, original symbol."

Singh’s remarks come after Banerjee moved the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission of India's (ECI) interim order restraining her faction from using the original All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) party name and its traditional 'Flowers and Grass' symbol amid an ongoing leadership dispute. In her plea before the apex court, Banerjee termed the poll panel's freeze as arbitrary and sought an urgent stay, contending that the decision severely impacts her faction's preparations ahead of the elections.

The Election Commission had earlier issued an interim order barring both rival TMC factions from using the party's original name, "All India Trinamool Congress", and its traditional "Flowers and Grass" or "Jora Phool" symbol, pending a final determination of the organisational dispute. The Commission subsequently allotted the Mamata Banerjee-led faction the name "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" and the "Football Player" symbol, while the rival faction led by Arup Roy was allotted the name "Democratic Trinamool Congress" and the "Envelope" symbol. The interim arrangement applies to the upcoming bypolls. (ANI)