There is no let-up in the Modi-Mamata war of words. Hitting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee where it hurt the most, the BJP’s PM nominee once again raised the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam to return fire on her recent ‘paper tiger’ jibe.
Taking a dig at the Trinamool chief, Modi said a real tiger is one who puts the ponzi scamsters in jail instead of protecting them and usurping the money of the poor. While the two also took on each other over Bangladeshi immigrants, Modi even raised the issue of alleged irregularities in the selection of teachers in Government schools of West Bengal.
“I am surprised. Didi, why are you afraid of a paper tiger. If a paper tiger has proved this costly for her, then what will happen if a real tiger comes before you. The real tigers of Bengal are its youth,” Modi said while addressing a rally here.
Mamata had recently taken a swipe at Modi saying there was a difference between a ‘paper tiger’ and a Royal Bengal Tiger. Criticising the law and order situation in the State, he said West Bengal was among the top three States in the country with high rate of atrocities against women but “where there is a Government of ‘paper tiger’ (in Gujarat), mothers and daughters are safe”.
Modi, however, said, Mamata’s attack on him “will not be an impediment for Bengal and its development, if the BJP comes to power”. In fact, he claimed, if the BJP is elected to power, the people of Bengal will have “rasgulla” in both their hands.
“I am giving you a formula. If a strong BJP Government comes to power at the Centre then Didi also has to stop her drama and show some seriousness in running the Government. If I make 100 km of roads, then she has to at least make 10 km of road. If I build 1 lakh houses then she has to build 10,000 houses,” he said.
“let Modi also work for Bengal and Didi also work. let the difference be known, let there be a competition. let’s see who works better, we will get to know who is a real tiger,” he asserted.Modi also raised the issue of Bangladeshi infiltrators saying those who were allowed into the country for vote bank politics would have to go back, while refugees who have been thrown out of the neighbouring country on religious grounds would be greeted with open arms.
This saw a swift retaliation from Mamata. “Bengalis came to India from Bangladesh in 1971. This is legal. We will not allow them to touch even one Bengali. Comrade Modiji says he will throw all Bengalis from India. He thinks he has already become the PM,” Mamata said addressing a rally at Ranaghat.
Speaking at a rally in Asansol later, Modi alleged that a scam took place in the selection of teachers in Government schools of West Bengal. “This is not what a paper tiger has done. Why is the Royal Bengal tiger steeped in corruptionIJ” he asked.
Picking the infiltration issue Modi attacked the so-called secular parties who had allowed these people to perpetuate their vote bank politics and in turn these infiltrators had gobbled up lakhs of the jobs which would otherwise go to the Indians.
He alleged that the left, the Congress and the TMC were not concerned whether the youth of the country get jobs but they ensure that the Bangladeshi infiltrators get jobs so that their votes are cast in their favour.
In the meantime, the left Front joined its arch-rival Trinamool Congress in castigating Modi for his alleged divisive politics over Bangladeshi immigrants in West Bengal and demanded that the Election Commission take notice of his comments. “Modi is making reckless comments and trying to create a division in Bengal,” left Front chairman Biman Bose said at a Press conference at the CPI(M) headquarters here.