NEW DELHI: Launching a veiled attack, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday targeted All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi over communal extremism.
Speaking on Monday at a rally in Cooch Behar, a border district in West Bengal, the leader of the Trinamool Congress, for the first time ever accused the AIMIM’s leader of being “extremists” from the “minority community.”
They take money from BJP
Without taking Owaisi or his party’s name, Ms Banerjee said:
“There is a political party… just like there are some extremists in Hindus, same with minorities. They take money from BJP. They stay in Hyderabad. They don’t stay here. They come here and say I’ll give you protection. Don’t fall into this trap of my minority brothers,” the Bengal CM said.
“Extremism is coming out among the minorities, just as there are extremists among the Hindus. There is a political party and they are taking money from the BJP, they are from Hyderabad, not from West Bengal,” she further said.
Owaisi hits back at Didi
Hitting back at the TMC supremo’s accusation, the Hyderabad MP tweeted on Tuesday that “if Didi is worried about a bunch of us from Hyderabad then she should tell us how BJP won 18/42 LS seats from Bengal.”
“We have faith in this institution (Parliament) and constitution. We are fighting for justice and if Mamata finds this extremism, I can’t say anything. She let BJP win over 18 seats. The Muslims in Bengal have the least performance in all indicators. There won’t be any gains by visiting dargahs,” Owaisi told news agency ANI.
AIMIM eyes on Bengal?
It is evident from Ms. Banerjee’s statements that now Hyderabad-based party is going to put its feet on the land of Bengal.
Huge posters of Owaisi, that read ‘Intezaar Ab Khatm, Mission West Bengal’ embossed on them were put up in Cooch Behar.
Therefore, Ms Benerjee warned her leader and activists about the Hyderabad Parliamentarian to not to make the mistake of “trusting these forces”.
West Bengal is slated to go for Assembly polls in 2021 and Ms Banerjee, who has has governed Bengal Since 2011 triing her best to place herself in a robust position.
In the 2019 general election, the West Bengal saw a saffron surge when the BJP registered victory in Cooch Behar, held by TMC in 2014.