Netaji had respect for Lord Ram, says BJP leader Suvendu

Wondering why West BengalChief Minister Mamata Banerjee gets angry on hearing the ''JaiShri Ram'' slogan, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Monday saidthat Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had respect for Lord Ram.

Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, onSaturday refused to speak at an official event attended byPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Bose's birth anniversary after''Jai Shri Ram'' slogans were raised from a section of theaudience just before she was to start her address.

Quoting from a letter written by Netaji to his mother,Adhikari said that Bose had praised the Ramayana and Lord Ram.

Adhikari, who switched sides from the TMC to the BJPlast month, said that the letter was published in a book whichis a collection of letters written by Netaji to his mother.

He questioned why Banerjee ''gets angry on hearing JaiShri Ram''.

The prime minister, who participated in the birthanniversary celebration of Netaji in Kolkata on Saturday, hasshown the highest regards to the great freedom fighter, hesaid.

Adhikari, once a trusted aide of Banerjee, claimedthat Modi has never differentiated among religions in hisdevelopment agenda.

Addressing a meeting after a roadshow at Tamluk, theheadquarter town of Purba Medinipur district, the former WestBengal minister claimed that atrocities on BJP workers by theTMC activists have reached intolerable levels.

''The Left Front could not hold on to power by suchactivities and the TMC too will not be able to do it,'' hesaid.

On the accusations made by certain TMC leaders that hehad taken bribes, enjoyed power for 10 years and then desertedthe party, Adhikari said that those who are levelling suchallegations should look into their own backyard first.

He said that though he is in anti-Left politics, hehas always respected certain Left leaders as they led a humblelife and were honest.

''I have always respected leaders such as PromodDasgupta, Binoy Chowdhury, Gita Mukherjee, Biswanath Mukherjeeand Sukumar Sengupta,'' he said, adding that his fight wasagainst the likes of Lakshman Seth, who was a powerful CPI(M)leader of Haldia.

Adhikari also vouched for the honesty of CPI(M)Politburo member and West Bengal Left Front chairman BimanBose.