Unfazed by the controversy over his earlier remarks, BJP president Amit Shah on Friday linked the Burdwan blast accused to the Trinamool Congress and challenged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to say they are innocent.
“The accused in the Saradha scam and Burdwan blast are linked to the TMC. The owner of the house where Burdwan blast took place is linked to the TMC. The Sharada chit fund scam accused are also linked to the TMC and many people, including MPs, have been arrested. If Mamataji feels it is CBI’s mischief, she should say that those arrested are innocent...If CBI is doing a political probe, let Mamataji just say in public that those arrested are innocent,” Shah said speaking at Agenda Aaj Tak.
The BJP chief added that he is a public leader and has made an allegation against the West Bengal Chief Minister’s party and it was up to her to come out and clarify. “I have made an accusation against Mamata’s party and to come clear on that is Mamata’s work,” said the BJP president.
He also said that the BJP will never use CBI as a tool to meet its political ends which the Congress was doing while in power, starting from the time of Indira Gandhi up to
those of Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi.
While addressing a rally in Kolkata on November 30, Shah had accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of creating hurdles for a proper NIA probe into the Burdwan blast to shield her party leaders allegedly involved in the incident. He also alleged that Saradha chit fund money was used in the October 2 Burdwan blast.
However, Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh, had in a written reply in Parliament, said CBI investigations have so far not revealed that Saradha chit fund money was used to finance terror in Bangladesh, contradicting BJP Chief Amit Shah’s allegation of such a connection.
In the midst of a raging row over conversions in Agra by Hindutva outfits, Amit Shah also favoured a strong law to stop forcible conversions. But he lamented that the so-called secular parties will not come forward to support such a measure in Parliament due to their vote bank politics.
“There should be no forcible conversions and a good law should be brought in Parliament against it. I appeal to all other parties to support such a law. But I guarantee that except for the BJP, no other party will favour this law due to their vote bank politics,” Shah added.
He agreed with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu’s appeal in Parliament that all parties should unite in bringing a law on forcible conversions but why oppose if people want to convert by themselves.