'Better to transform WB into Guj than B'desh'

June 12, 2019 23:47

In a strong retort to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday said if voted to power, the saffron party would work towards making the state the "second Gujarat" as it would create employment for its jobless youth.

Ghosh also said it was better to transform Bengal into Gujarat rather than converting it into Bangladesh and a safe haven for Jihadis.

The recent general election in Bengal saw a heated war of words between the Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The acrimony resulted in clashes after the poll, leading to the loss of several lives in various parts of the state.

In the fiercely-fought election in Bengal, the saffron party won 18 Lok Sabha seats, only four less than the TMC's 22.

"It is our challenge that if voted to power, we will work towards creating a prosperous state like Gujarat. It is better to convert Bengal into Gujarat rather than a safe haven for Jihadis or Bangladesh. We will never allow Bengal to get transformed into Bangladesh," Ghosh said.

Banerjee on Tuesday said the BJP was "planning to turn Bengal into Gujarat", adding, "I am ready to go to jail, but will not allow it."

"Bengal is not a sweetmeat. Bengal is also not a toy and you cannot play around with it. In Bengal, we respect Gandhiji more than in Gujarat," she had said.

Clashes broke out between BJP workers and the police here on Wednesday during a rally to protest against the post-poll violence in West Bengal, with the saffron party claiming that several of its workers were injured. -- PTI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Efforts to weaken India's progress must be stopped: Justice Datta on EVM row

Writing his views in a separate verdict while concurring with the opinion of Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who was heading the bench, Justice Datta said the question of reverting to "paper ballot system", on facts and in the circumstances, does...

Surya, Bumrah key to India's prospects in T20 World Cup: Yuvraj

Former India star Yuvraj Singh has identified the swashbuckling Suryakumar Yadav and pace ace Jasprit Bumrah as key to the team's prospects in the upcoming T20 World Cup owing to their ability to "change the complexion of a game" in a...

Maruti Suzuki Q4 net rises 48% to Rs 3,877.8 cr

The country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India on Friday reported a 47.8 per cent rise in net profit for the March quarter of FY24 to Rs 3,877.8 crore, on account of higher sales volume and favourable commodity prices.

Markets snap five-day rally; Sensex tumbles over 600 pts

Market benchmarks Sensex and Nifty wilted under selling pressure on Friday after a five-day rally as investors pared exposure to banking, financial and consumer durable stocks amid mixed trends in global markets. Rising global crude...

World Cup: Deepika ousts Korean rival to enter semis

Continuing her spirited progress post motherhood, former world number one Deepika Kumari eliminated Korean Jeon Hunyoung to storm into the semifinal, while compound archers continued to shine to assure India a fourth medal in the World...