Abhishek slams Amit Shah for dismissive tone toward Mamata

Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of showing disrespect to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during election campaigns and said it reflected the BJP’s attitude towards women. Addressing an election meeting at Joynagar in South 24 Parganas district, Banerjee said Shah’s alleged remarks targeting TMC workers would be answered after the poll results on May 4.

“BJP talks about ‘Naari Shakti’, but we all saw how Amit Shah addressed Mamata Banerjee at a meeting on Tuesday. He was calling her ‘Ayeee Didi’, just like Modi did in 2021, ‘Didi O Didi’, both in a dismissive, disrespectful manner,” he said. “And remember, he is addressing someone who is 10 years older than him. This is the respect they have for women, for a woman chief minister and for a senior politician,” Banerjee added.

He said just as the BJP was restricted to 77 seats after the 2021 elections, “this time they won’t be able to cross even 50 seats”. Urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah and other BJP leaders such as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to “keep their cool” while campaigning in the State, he alleged that the BJP was targeting the only woman Opposition chief minister who stood against its “dictatorial attitude”.

“After May 4, we will prepare for the next battle to dislodge the BJP from Delhi,” he said. Banerjee also alleged that the BJP was questioning the citizenship of Bengalis despite valid documents.

“And instead of you (BJP) checking and verifying the citizenship of Bengalis (who have all valid documents), the day will not be far away when we will check and verify your (leaders like Shah) residency proof,” he said.

Banerjee alleged that those from the CPI(M) who had committed atrocities on Opposition TMC workers during Left rule later changed colours and joined the BJP and were responsible for the growth of the saffron forces in West Bengal.