'If Muslims are bad, why hug their leaders?': Mamata Banerjee to BJP

Mamata Banerjee slammed leaders for their double standards on Muslims, questioning their engagements with Muslim-majority countries. She urged voters to unite against the BJP, accusing them of misusing central agencies and disrespecting Bengal's culture.

West Bengal Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that if Muslims are bad, then leaders should also question their own conduct when meeting the leaders of Muslim-majority countries, adding that such differences are not made during international engagements.

While addressing the public gathering She said, "If Muslims are really bad, I ask them when the Prime Minister of the country goes to Saudi Arabia and the President of the country, whatever comes in their system, when they hug them, they do not remember whether they are Hindu or Muslim"

Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee made a strong pitch for his party saying, "This election is not the election of Mamata Banerjee. This is the election of change, the election of protest."

'BJP will ruin the country'

Earlier in the day, while addressing the public meeting at Manikchak, CM Banerjee said, "If you want to live peacefully for the next 5 years, then you must unite to stop the BJP. BJP will ruin the country. They don't respect any religion. They impose a religion that's manufactured by them. Maa Kali's prasad includes both fish and meat. What religion is the BJP trying to preach? They first need to understand the culture of Bengal."

'Mota Bhai calls us thieves'

"Don't fall for any provocation. They want to create trouble and get 30-40 people arrested from every area. This is happening in Malda. Innocent people are getting arrested. NIA, CBI, ED, BSF & CISF are under Mota Bhai's control. Mota Bhai calls us thieves. But where does the money from the borders go? You brand people as infiltrators for speaking in Bengali. You [BJP] are the biggest infiltrators. They come here during polls to capture votes forcefully," she added.

Banerjee warns against BJP-Congress alliance

Banerjee warned voters not to support any party other than AITC, alleging a tacit understanding between the BJP and Congress in the state. She said such an alliance could lead to NRC implementation and detention camps, but assured that her government would not allow any citizen to be sent to such camps.

West Bengal Assembly elections are set to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with vote counting scheduled for May 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)