Amit Shah’s lunch with tribal family at Bankura was prepared by Brahmin cook: Mamata Banerjee

Terming Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent visit to a tribal family in West Bengal's Bankura, a "show-off", Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (November 23) alleged that the lunch he had there was prepared somewhere else by a "Brahmin cook". The chief minister also claimed that the BJP leader garlanded a wrong statue thinking it was tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (November 23) called Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent visit to the state a "show off" and alleged that the lunch he had with a Dalit family during his visit was prepared by a Brahmin cook.

The chief minister also claimed that the BJP leader garlanded a wrong statue thinking it was tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda. Mamata Banerjee announced that the state government would declare a holiday on Munda’s birth anniversary on November 15.

While speaking in Khatra area of tribal-dominated Banura district, Mamata Banerjee said, "Honourable Home Minister Amit Shah visited West Bengal a couple of days ago just for show off. He ate with a Dalit family here but made sure his food was brought from outside and cooked by a Brahmin."

“There were visuals that the Dalit family was cutting cabbage and coriander, but none of these was seen (on his plate). He had eaten Basmati rice, posta bora (poppy seed fritters),” she added.

During a two-day visit to West Bengal earlier this month, Shah met the family in Chaturthi village of Bankura and had food with them on November 5.

Mamata Banerjee added that Shah even garlanded a statue of a hunter, thinking it to be that of tribal freedom fight fighter Munda.

Also accusing the BJP of defaming her Trinamool Congress (TMC) for one percent wrong people, she said 99 percent of them are good. “They defame us for just one percent wrong men in TMC that too those who came from the CPI(M).”

She also took on the Centre for the amendment to the Essential Commodities Act, from which potatoes and onions have been excluded.

Mamata Banerjee also asked the people not to vote for the BJP as the central government was giving financial benefits to the poor from their money only.