Mamata slams Vijayvargiya over his 'poha' remark


PTI | Kolkata | Updated: 27-01-2020 19:24 IST | Created: 27-01-2020 19:24 IST
Mamata slams Vijayvargiya over his 'poha' remark
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After BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya made the bizarre connection between food and nationality and drew flak for it, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday questioned the right of the saffron party leaders to comment on the eating habits of people or their attire. Vijayvargiya, who is BJP's Bengal minder, had recently said at a seminar in Indore that he suspected there were Bangladeshis among the construction labourers at his house as they were eating poha (flattened rice).

He also said the "strange" eating habits of the workers aroused his suspicion about their nationality. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told a poll rally in Jharkhand last year that those indulging in arson over the citizenship legislation could be identified by their clothes.

Banerjee, who was addressing a workshop of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (students' wing), said, "Who gave them (BJP) the right to make such remarks? Can you determine someone's nationality just by seeing him eat poha? Will you dictate what someone should eat? Will you be able to determinbe someone's nationality based on the clothes he or she is wearing?" She said, "They (BJP) should remember we are not their bonded labourers, the people of India are not their bonded labourers". The TMC supremo who is a strident critic of the BJP, iterated that she will not allow the NPR exercise in Bengal unless necessary modifications were made in its form.

"Why is that people are being asked to furnish addresses and birth certificates of parents for NPR?" she questioned. Charging the BJP of "doublespeak" and "hypocrisy", Banerjee said, "Some people want only one colour to stay ...

But our country is a beautiful mosaic of all colours." Banerjee termed BJP's 'Abhinandan Yatra' in support of CAA across Bengal as 'Bisarjan Yatra' (immersion procession) and asked students to approach every household to counter the saffron party's "misinformation campaign". She claimed that BJP is asking people in few pockets of south Bengal to submit their Aadhaar card number to its local party unit for updating their names in the voter list.

"Why are they (BJP) asking for that? What is their motive? Please don't give them such details, they don't have the authority to ask for your Aadhaar details". On the demonstration programme of different wings of the TMC, Banerjee said its trade union wing will hold a three-day protest at Rani Rasmoni Avenue from January 28 against the move by the BJP-led government at the Centre move to sell off stakes in AI, BSNL and other central PSUs.

The students' wing will launch their sit-in against CAA at the same place from January 31. On February 1 and 2 the students and youth wings of TMC will hold sit-ins in every block of the state, while a human chain will be formed in every block on February 5 to "save the Constitution", she said..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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