Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday intensified his attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, targeting her supremo over her tirade against top religious organisations like Iskcon, Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha, reportedly to appease her votebank in the Lok Sabha elections.
Alleging that Banerjee had threatened Hindu monks, Modi, addressing a poll campaign in Jhargram, said, “Iskcon, Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha comprise the spiritual identity of Bengal. But, the Chief Minister gives warnings from the dais to these great institutions. Her threats have encouraged the TMC goons also.”
Modi claimed, “It has been learnt that an ashram of Ramakrishna Mission was vandalised in Jalpaiguri on Sunday night. The staff was beaten up and threatened also. Where is the TMC government taking Bengal to? Have the citizens of our country ever imagined that threats would be given to Ramakrishna Mission and its ashram would be ransacked?”
He pointed out, “The TMC government is crossing limits to appease its vote bank. Bengal will never tolerate the insult of Ramakrishna Mission and its monks.”
Recalling the impact that Ramakrishna Mission had on his life, the Prime Minister said, “The entire country knows how big a contribution Ramakrishna Mission made to build my life and how deep relations I have with it. Even after becoming the prime minister, whenever I get an opportunity I stay with the monks if I have to”.
Asserting that the TMC government was attacking the faith of the people of Bengal, Modi said, “TMC leaders say that Ram Mandir is unholy. Is Ram Mandir unholy? Isn’t the motive of the TMC unholy? TMC government issues diktat to stop Rama Navami rallies and attacks are made by TMC goons on Rama Navami processions.”
He highlighted the infiltration under the TMC rule, observing, “TMC only worries about its vote bank. It invites infiltrators and arranges places for them to live. The Bengali population is on the decline in the bordering areas of the state. Whose land the infiltrators grab after entry here? They take control of the land of people belonging to the SC, ST and OBC categories. TMC and Congress want to legalise the infiltrators’ control.”