Responding to reports that several top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders would arrive in West Bengal this month to strengthen the party before the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee on Saturday claimed his party was not concerned about the BJP leaders' visit.
"Whether 40 leaders or 400 leaders of the BJP are coming to the state, is not our concern," Chatterjee said at the end of the Trinamool Congress' core committee meeting here.
"We do not know whether 40 leaders or 40 thieves are coming here. What we know for sure is, under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, all the people of the state are in our favour," he claimed.
Countering Chatterjee, BJP National Secretary Rahul Sinha said the state ruling party's response clearly shows that they are feeling intimidated by the reports.
"This is an internal programme of our party. Why should Trinamool talk about it? Their response clearly indicates that they are scared and terrorised hearing the news," Sinha said.
"The BJP MPs and central leaders would go to the major parliamentary constituencies in the country including Bengal to campaign for the party before the 2019 election. This is our party's nationwide agenda," he added.