Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday called the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress ‘Ram-drohi’ and said the BJP will ban illegal slaughter houses, cow smuggling and ‘love jihad’ (a term used by right wing outfits to describe marriages between Muslim men and Hindu women) within 24-hours if voted to power in Bengal.
Addressing a huge public gathering at Gazole in Malda district, Adityanath said, “Today, I am honoured to be here in the land of Jiva Goswami (Gaudiya Vaishnava saint). Banerjee is doing appeasement politics in Bengal. Today, I would like to assure you that within 24 hours of forming a government in Bengal, we will ban illegal slaughter houses and we will act sternly against cases of love jihad and cow smuggling in the state. In Uttar Pradesh, we did the same thing.”
He further said it is unfortunate that Banerjee is angered by ‘Jai Sri Ram’ slogan. “Once upon a time (hinting at Mulayam Singh Yadav’s government), the same resentment was there against Lord Ram in Uttar Pradesh and we all know what happened there. Today, a Ram temple is coming up. I can feel that same thing is going to happen here in Bengal.”
The UP chief minister said, “The TMC indulges in appeasement politics. Banerjee’s initiative to restrict immersion of Durga Puja idols on Dashami to make way for Muharram processions not only exposed this, but also shows her low-level politics to stay in power.”
“I would like to tell her that there is nothing above Lord Ram. ‘Maryada Purushottam Ram’ is everywhere. When we meet, we greet each other by saying ‘Ram-Ram’. During the last rites of our loved ones, we chant ‘Ram Naam Satya Hai’. But Banerjee gets angry over ‘Jai Sri Ram’ slogans. Those who don’t like ‘Sri Ram’, they should not stay in our country. During Eid festivals, cows were slaughtered forcibly, while curbs were imposed on Durga Puja celebration. This is not only unfortunate, but also shameful,” he added.
Accusing Banerjee of running a ‘corrupt’ and ‘anarchist’ government, Adityanath said, “West Bengal has always been a land of culture. It has been the land of revolution for India’s freedom struggle. It is unfortunate to see an environment of anarchy in Bengal. Therefore, BJP workers have come here to connect with our Bengali brothers and sisters and re-establish the identity of Bengal.”
He said, “Bengal is deprived of the benefits of the ‘Ayushman Bharat’ scheme. Banerjee is not implementing it in Bengal. Crores of people across India have availed free surgeries under the scheme.”
Regarding the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PMKSN) scheme, Adityanath said, “The ruling government is also blocking implementation of the scheme and depriving farmers of its benefits.”
The PMKSN is central initiative under which all farmers will get up to Rs 6,000 per year as minimum income support. The initiative was announced by Union Minister Piyush Goyal during the 2019 Interim Union Budget on February 1, 2019.
He said, “Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee had strongly opposed Article 370, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir. He died at Srinagar Jail after his arrest in Jammu and Kashmir (on June 23, 1953). We fulfilled his dream by scrapping the Article.”
