Ahead of Assembly polls in West Bengal, Union Home Minster Amit Shah on Thursday flagged off the fourth Poriborton Yatra from Cooch Behar and said that this initiative is not about changing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee but to build 'Sonar Bangla'.
Addressing a public rally here in Cooch Behar, the Union Home Minister said, "We have started the 4th Poriborton Yatra today from Cooch Behar. TMC says that Bengal is running alright, why do we need Poriborton Yatra? This is not to change a minister or a minor change, this Yatra is to change the situation in Bengal." "This 'Poriborton Yatra' is to free the state from infiltration, unemployment, bomb blasts, and bring a change in the state of farmers in the state. This 'Poriborton Yatra' is a journey towards building Sonar Bangla," he added.
Slamming the state government over Jai Shri Ram slogans, Shah said, "Such an environment has been created in Bengal that raising Jai Shri Ram slogans has become crime. Mamata Didi, if slogans of Jai Shri Ram are not raised here, will it be raised in Pakistan?" "I am promising that till the time election ends Mamata didi will also say Jai Shri Ram," he added.
Earlier, Banerjee erupted in fury on January 23 after chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ was raised during a programme on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 125th birth anniversary at Victoria Memorial here.
In a rare joint appearance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the event, which was hosted to honour Netaji, the chief minister refused to speak after chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ was heard from the audience.
The Union Minister added, "Mamata didi keeps on quarrelling with Modi ji, she even quarrelled during Subhash babu's program. It was Subhash babu's event, you could have refrained from politics there."
Claiming that TMC and Communist parties have done nothing for development in the state, Shah said: "We work with the idea of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas'. We take cultures, literature and traditions of every community ahead."
Taking a jibe at the state government, Shah said, "More than 130 BJP workers have been killed by TMC goons, no action has been taken. Once our government comes to power, each of the murderers will be sent to jail."
Earlier today, Shah had paid floral tribute to former Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Deendayal Upadhyaya on his death anniversary.
