West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday made a direct pitch to minority voters in Nandigram, saying the BJP would not force them to chant “Jai Shri Ram” and that they could instead say “Bharat Mata ki Jai” as he sought their support in the October 6 bypoll.
Addressing a rally at Birulia Bazar, an area with a sizeable Muslim population, Adhikari said minority voters would gain little by continuing to turn away from the BJP, claiming that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) had “ceased to exist”. Making his appeal to minority voters, Adhikari said they could choose not to chant the BJP’s familiar slogan.
The chief minister also attacked the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, claiming that the party’s name and symbol had been erased from the state. The aunt-nephew duo’s dry grass and twin flower symbol no longer exist. The chhinnamool (rootless, an apparent wordplay on Trinamool) people tried hard on the EVMs. If you don’t feel like saying it, then don’t. Instead, say Bharat Mata ki Jai. You will not get a better opportunity than this. Shake hands, build a bond.
“When I went to collect the certificate of the winning candidate from Nandigram on May 4, I had said that there would be no name or symbol of the TMC. Oct 6 is an auspicious day to build a friendship.
At Debipur, Adhikari said he would be present in Nandigram on counting day and urged minority voters to join hands with his government. At another meeting in Narayanchak, the chief minister said it was up to minority voters to decide whether they wanted to “make friendship” with him, while pointing out that they had not voted for him in the 2021 and 2026 assembly elections. He also said minorities were among the beneficiaries of schemes such as PM Awaas and Annapurna Yojana in Nandigram. The people have driven Mamata Banerjee’s party out,” Adhikari said. Earlier reporting noted: Campaigning for BJP’s Hasirani Rath, mother of his murdered aide Chandranath Rath, Adhikari said, “We chant Jai Sri Ram but no one is forcing you to do the same. Prime Minister Modi works for everyone and the chief minister will also work for everyone,” he said.
Earlier reporting noted: He added that the bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar, a Muslim-dominated seat, offered minorities the best opportunity to extend a hand of friendship to the saffron party. Earlier reporting noted: “Will our minority brothers and sisters keep turning their faces away from us?
