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Kolkata, Dec. 20 (IANS): Promising to transform West Bengal into 'Sonar Bangla' once again, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that only a "son of the soil" will become the next Chief Minister in case the BJP won the 2021 Assembly elections.
"I assure you that the next CM of Bengal will definitely be a son of the soil when the BJP comes to power next year. The next CM nominee will be a Bengali only," Shah told media persons in Bolpur.
The former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President said that many people were now joining the party in Bengal to voice their protests against the Mamata Banerjee-led state government's "misrule". "We will form the next government in Bengal with more than 200 Assembly seats," he said.
Amid much fanfare, Shah led a grand roadshow in Birbhum district this afternoon. The roadshow started from Hanuman Mandir on the Stadium Road in Bolpur and ended at the eBolpur Circle.
"I haven't seen a roadshow like this in my life. This roadshow shows the love and trust of people of Bengal towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi. People of Bengal want a change," he claimed.
The Minister said that the people wanted a change of government in Bengal to what he called "end political violence, extortion and Bangladeshi infiltration".
"Anger prevails across Bengal; the state has deviated from the path of development. Bengal once used to lead the nation in every possible aspect but is now lagging. The Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre wants to transform Bengal into 'Sonar Bangla' once again," Shah said.
"Give one chance to Narendra Modi in the 2021 Assembly elections. We will make 'Sonar Bangla' in 5 years," he assured the gathering.
Awash in saffron hues, the district town of Bolpur on Sunday wore a festive look as thousands of sloganeering BJP supporters thronged the roads with party flags to welcome the Union Minister who was accorded a warm welcome on his arrival here this afternoon.
Shah held the rally at Bolpur after visiting the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's Visva Bharati University and paying floral tributes to him on the Santiniketan campus. He also visited Shyambati in Birbhum where he along with BJP state President Dilip Ghosh, national General Secretary (incharge of West Bengal) Kailash Vijayvargiya, and national Vice-President Mukul Roy shared meals with the family of a Baul singer at their house.
Shah alleged that political violence was at its peak in Bengal and more than 300 BJP workers had been killed and there was no progress in police investigations.
"I want to tell all Trinamool Congress leaders that they must not be under the wrong impression that the BJP will stop due to such attacks. We will work to establish our base in Bengal, no matter how violent attacks they launch at us," Shah remarked.
The Home Minister condemned the attack on BJP national President JP Nadda's convoy during his Bengal tour recently.
"It is quite unfortunate that the ruling party supported such attacks. The BJP condemns it. I also condemn the incident personally. The BJP believes that in a democracy, everyone should have the right to voice their views," he said.
As for the transfer of three Indian Police Service officials on central deputation for five years after the convoy attack incident, Shah said that the Centre has not done anything in Bengal that is against the federal structure.
Regarding Trinamool's stand against the new central farm laws, Shah claimed that Mamata Banerjee supported the farmers' protest on the Delhi borders but did not allow cultivators of Bengal to derive benefits from central schemes for their welfare.
People of Bengal yearning for change
Bolpur (WB), Dec. 20 (PTI): People of West Bengal are yearning for change as they want to get rid of political violence, corruption, extortion and Bangladeshi infiltration, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday, attacking the Mamata Banerjee government.
Addressing people during a roadshow in this town associated with Bengali cultural and literary icon Rabindranath Tagore, Shah vowed to restore the state to its old glory when it was called "sonar Bangla" (Bengal of gold) if the BJP is voted to power.
"I have attended and organised several roadshows in my life but have never seen one like this. This roadshow is a reflection of people's anger against the Mamata Banerjee government. This crowd reflects people's faith in the agenda of development of Narendra Modi Ji," Shah told the massive gathering at the roadshow.
He said the yearning was not about changing a political leader but "getting rid of corruption, political violence, extortion and Bangladeshi infiltration.”