During a rally for BJP candidate Dilip Ghosh in support of BJP in the Burdwan-Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency, Union Home Minister Amit Shah lashed out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly being reluctant to run the state's borders against illegal infiltrators, which he said are the "principal vote bank" of the Trinamool Congress.
Shah accused Banerjee of nurturing the illegal infiltration that he alleged had become a major support base for her party. He said her failure to deal with this issue is a matter of shame.
Speaking about the deteriorating industrial scenario in Durgapur-Asansol because of rampant extortion, Shah said the area has suffered a decline in investment because of the fear of extortion activities carried out by the agents of people who, he said, wield clout at the highest level.
Announcing ambitious electoral targets, Shah announced that the BJP aims to win at least 30 seats from West Bengal in the current Lok Sabha elections so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi can win again for a third straight term. He linked Modi's return to power with the clean-up of terrorism and the strengthening of India's economic position on the global stage.
He also attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his supposed hatred towards the abrogation of Article 370, which accorded special status to Jammu & Kashmir. Gandhi had said earlier that bloodshed could become a reality in the region immediately after the revocation. Shah turned down this allegation and further said that there was no fear of bloodshed in the region because of the revocation of Article 370.
Shah has also attacked the state police, which he says did not act on the case of sexual harassment in Sandeshkhali, and has filed an FIR in this case. This has resulted in the case being handed over to the CBI by the Calcutta High Court. He demanded stringent punishment for such criminals, such as Sheikh Shahjahan, accused of sexual harassment in the Sandeshkhali case. He questioned the lack of responsibility, especially in the state, headed by a female Chief Minister, and demanded that criminals be punished strictly.
