First fight Abhishek, then me: Mamata challenges Amit Shah

Hitting out at Union HomeMinister Amit Shah's 'Didi-Bhaipo' jibes, West Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday challenged him to contestan election against her nephew Abhishek Banerjee and thenthink of fighting her.

Addressing a party rally in Pailan in the South 24Parganas district, Banerjee said that Abhishek could havetaken the easy route of being an MP by choosing to be a RajyaSabha member but he fought the Lok Sabha election and got thepeople's mandate.

''Day and night they are talking about Didi-Bhatija. Ichallenge Amit Shah, contest against Abhishek Banerjee firstand then me,'' she said, amid a loud cheer from supporters.

Banerjee said that she has neither made Abhishek thedeputy chief minister nor the chief minister and he is just anelected MP.

''My family will not do anything which will bringdisrepute to you,'' Banerjee told the TMC workers, claimingthat she feels anguished that the BJP has been makingaccusations against Abhishek for being her nephew.

BJP leaders, including Shah, have often accusedBanerjee of dynasty politics, alleging that her 'Bhaipo' ornephew has received preferential treatment and will eventuallybe made the chief minister of the state.

''How come your son became a part of the cricketadministration and made hundreds of crores of rupees?''Banerjee said, in a direct attack at Shah.

She also challenged the home minister to get him intopolitics.

''I challenge Amit Shah, get your son into politics andask him to toil hard to rise through the ranks,'' she said.

Banerjee exuded confidence that her party will breakall records of past elections in the state, get most of thevotes and win the highest number of seats in the upcomingpolls.

''Amit Shah should know that in 2021, we will break allrecords and will get the highest votes and win the mostseats,'' she asserted.

The TMC supremo, questioning Shah's observation thatthe Gangasagar mela site at Sagar islands in the district wasnot in good shape, said, ''I have not seen any home minister ofthe country speaking this much falsities.'' Shah was also in the district during the day for ahost of political programmes, including a rally and a roadshowin Kakdwip -- around 65 km from Pailan where the chiefminister was addressing TMC's booth-level workers in theevening.

Banerjee alleged that attempts were being made tothreaten people and coerce them to vote for the BJP with thehelp of the central police forces.

''Remember, central police will be here for a monthafter that it will be Didi's government. So, don't worry andwhenever they try to threaten, the women of the house shouldgo out and guard the family with 'khunti' (cooking spoon),''she said.

Banerjee also criticised the BJP, alleging that it wasspreading lies over different Hindu festivals in Bengal,including the Saraswati Puja and Durga Puja.

''Do they know the shlokas of Saraswati Puja? Theyshould first know the shlokas,'' Banerjee said, reciting theshlokas from the stage.

''They don't know about Maa Durga. One of their leadersrecently said who was Maa Durga. They don't know Maa Durga andare fighting elections in Bengal. Only big talks aboutHinduism, as if we don't know anything,'' she said, asking theHindus in the crowd to raise hands.

Banerjee said that if her government has problems withDurga Puja, then how did 28,000 clubs get Rs 50,000 each.

Slamming the BJP over its allegations that the TMCmisappropriated Amphan relief money, she said that the partyhas saved the lives of 10 lakh people during the supercyclone.

Banerjee termed the BJP's ongoing rath yatra programmein Bengal a flop, claiming that the party is bringingthousands of people from outside the state for the elections.

The chief minister said that there has been a horrificincident against three girls in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao, but thehome minister did not bother to speak about it.

Two teenage girls were found dead and another in anunconscious state in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh afterthey went missing on Wednesday evening.

Maintaining that state minister Jakir Hossain, who wasseriously injured in a blast on Wednesday night at Nimtitarailway station, is a very popular leader in Murshidabad, shesaid that an SIT (special investigation team) formed by herwill investigate why there was no light at the station and whyno security arrangement was made for him by the railwayauthorities.

''I feel they are going to start elections fromMurshidabad, Malda or Kolkata and the target was to kill him,''she alleged.

Banerjee claimed that the BJP will lose Uttar Pradeshin the near future and also be defeated in Tripura.

''People could not find an alternative in Assamotherwise they would have lost there too,'' she said.

Assam is likely to go to the polls along with WestBengal.