West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday hit out at her Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath and said that her state was much better off.
Banerjee, who was on a two-day tour to north and central Bengal districts to lead a campaign for the upcoming State assembly polls, alleged that even police and journalists were not safe in Uttar Pradesh, while making her way back to Kolkata.
After a meeting with district administrators at Behrampore’s Barrack Square, Banerjee faced the press and said, “The law and order situation in Bengal is much better.”
“In Yogi’s state, even the police and journalists are not safe. They are being murdered. Bengal’s condition is far better. Murshidabad is also peaceful now,” she added.
Meanwhile, at a rally in Uttar Dinajpur’s Raiganj on Wednesday, Banerjee alleged that the political agenda behind BJP’s ‘Parivartan Rathyatra’ was to create division in society on the basis of religion. She also accused the saffron party of resorting to lies about Hinduism.
“Rath Yatra is a religious festival. All of us have participated in this festival. We know Lord Jagannath, Balaram and Goddess Subhadra travel in those chariots.
“But, the BJP leaders are using this Rath Yatra for their own political purposes to divide the society and pit one against the other. BJP leaders are travelling on raths as if they are gods,” she said.
The former railway minister further attacked BJP by saying that the party was insulting Lord Jagannath and Lord Krishna. She said, “That is not a rath. It’s a five-star hotel. Lord Jagannath travels in a rath. Are the BJP leaders bigger than him?”
“Do we need to worship BJP leaders now? We have seen how raths are used in Mahabharata. Lord Krishna travelled in a rath with Arjun. Are the BJP leaders Krishna?”
Extending the insider-outaider debate, Banerjee maintained her stance that BJP was bringing outsiders to the state for the upcoming assembly elections due in April-May. The TMC chief also claimed that all they do is eat at houses of locals for a photo opportunity.
“Some outsiders are coming in luxury cars and indulging in photo sessions to show they are having food at houses of villagers,” she said, alleging that the the food is brought from five-star hotels.
“Bengal will be ruled by those from the state and not by people coming from Gujarat,” Banerjee asserted.