‘We don’t divide the Assembly on the basis of religion’: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on the floor of the Assembly on Monday that she and her party Trinamool Congress do not believe in dividing people in the House on the basis of religion.

“A BJP leader is making comments intended to divide people on the basis of religion. Come to the Assembly and see, people from all religions are here. We do not divide people in the House based on religion,” the Chief Minister said during the Monsoon Session of the Assembly.

Although the Chief Minister did not name anyone, her hint was towards Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for his recent remarks on scrapping the BJP’s Minority Morcha.

However, none of the BJP members were present in the House when the Chief Minister made the remarks, as they staged a walkout earlier after the Treasury bench moved a motion seeking a discussion on the allegation that the Chief Minister’s microphone was switched off during the NIT Aayog Governing Council meeting in the national capital on Saturday. On July 17 during the BJP’s state working committee meeting, Adhikari called for scrapping the Minority Morcha of the party.

The BJP MLA also said that it would be better to coin a new slogan — ‘Jo Hamare Saath, Hum Unke Sath’ — instead of ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas’.

“I have spoken about nationalist Muslims. You all said ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas’. But I will not say this anymore. Instead, I will say ‘Jo Hamare Saath, Hum Unke Sath’. There is no need for minority morcha,” Adhikari had said.

Hours later, the BJP leader had claimed that his comments were taken out of context. Clarifying his comments, the BJP leader said in a post on X that by coining the slogan ‘Jo Hamare Saath, Hum Unke Sath’, he meant that the party should be with those who are nationalists and stand for the country and Bengal.

“My statement is being taken out of context. What I meant was that the party should stand by those who are nationalists, and speak for the nation and Bengal. Those who don’t stand with us, and work against the interest of the nation and the state need to be exposed,” he had said. (IANS)

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