BJP chief, Mamata Banerjee in war on Rabindra Sangeet

Rabindra Sangeet, a popular genre of Bangla music, was on Tuesday dragged into the high decibel poll campaign in West Bengal with BJP president Amit Shah and chief minister Mamata Banerjee crossing swords.

Firing a salvo at the ruling Trinamul Congress over its five-year rule in the state, Mr Shah told a press meet in Kolkata that the only industry to have come up in Bengal during this period was the “bomb-making industry” as a result of which Rabindra Sangeet, also known as Tagore’s songs, was getting suppressed.

“Only the bomb-making industry has come up in West Bengal in the last five years. And the sound of Rabindra Sangeet is getting suppressed because of those bomb blasts,” Mr Shah said. In a sharp retort to Mr Shah, Ms Banerjee said she would be the “biggest enemy” of anyone who insulted Bengal.

“If anyone insults Bengal, there will be no bigger enemy than me,” Ms Banerjee said at a poll rally at Ramachandrapur in Purulia district.

“Today you are in power in Delhi, but will lose tomorrow,” the chief minister said, adding, “I have heard that (Mr Shah) has said something about Rabindranath.”

“People of Bengal do not forgive anyone who insults great poets like Rabindr-anath Tagore or Nazrul Islam,” she said.