Malda (West Bengal):

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh lambasted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for “spreading lies” over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying the bill will ensure the safety of persecuted minorities.

The defense minister held three campaign meetings in West Bengal, including two near the Bangladesh border.

The first meeting was held in Murshidabad for Gouri Shankar Ghosh, the second meeting was held in Malda Uttar constituency for Khagen Murmu and the third meeting was held in Darjeeling for party candidate Raju Bista.

“Mamata Banerjee is spreading lies about CAA among the people of Bengal, especially the Muslim community,” Singh said at a public meeting in Malda, West Bengal.

“The CAA will ensure the security of persecuted religious minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan because they are our people,” he added.

He also attacked CM Mamata’s remarks on repealing the CAA and said “no power in the world” can stop the legislation.

“Mamata Didi said she would repeal CAA. I want to ask her why she lied to the people of West Bengal. Politics can also be achieved by telling the truth to the people. No country has the power to repeal CAA and no power in the world can Stop CAA,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

Recently, CM Mamata urged migrant workers in the state not to return before the Lok Sabha election polls, claiming that if they did not vote, the BJP government would strip them of their citizenship.

He attacked the TMC and Congress party for “corruption” and said no corruption charges had been leveled against the BJP-ruled Center in the past 10 years.

“TMC and Congress leaders are mired in corruption and therefore in jail. The BJP has been in power for almost a decade and not a single person can point out the corruption during their tenure… TMC is ruling the state and there is no connection between the Trinamool Congress and the Congress The difference,” Mr. Singh said.

The defense minister strongly condemned the Sandesh Khali incident – in which several women accused the TMC leader of molestation and land grabbing – and said no one would dare to repeat such an incident if the BJP comes to power.

“West Bengal is famous for academics but under the current regime, criminals are flourishing here. An atmosphere of anarchy prevails across West Bengal. The world is ashamed of Sandesh Khali’s atrocities against women, which harms India “The entire human race is ashamed of the Sandesh Khali incident,” Mr. Singh said.

“I assure you that if the BJP government is formed here, we will see who dares to repeat Sandesh Khali’s mistake,” he added.

He also welcomed the Women’s Reservation Bill passed by Parliament and said that women would be given one-third reservation starting from the next elections.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has established a stronghold in West Bengal. The party won 34 out of 42 seats in 2014. But in 2019, the BJP made strong gains, winning 18 seats, while the TMC’s tally fell to 22 seats.

Polling in West Bengal will be held in seven phases. Voting took place on April 19 in three constituencies. Counting of votes will take place on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)