New Delhi:
The BJP’s description of Diamond Harbour, the Lok Sabha constituency of Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, as the “Lyari of Bengal” has earned a sharp clapback from the ruling party in the state. Accusing the BJP of attempts at “otherisation”, the Trinamool Congress alleged that the party is treating the state with contempt and hatred.
Lyari, in Pakistan’s Karachi, has entered the consciousness of the average Indian as a hotbed of crime syndicates, gang wars and espionage after its portrayal in the blockbuster movie ‘Dhurandhar’.
The Falta Assembly seat in the Diamond Harbour area made headlines earlier this week after IPS officer and “encounter specialist” Ajay Pal Sharma, also known as ‘Singham’, warned Trinamool Congress candidate Jahangir Khan and others of strict action if they engage in “mischief”. Khan responded with a movie reference of his own, saying, “If he is Singham, I am Pushpa”.
The BJP also alleged on polling day on Wednesday that its election symbol was taped over on EVMs in several booths in the Falta constituency, preventing voters from casting their ballots in its favour.
It was against this backdrop that a report on Friday quoted a BJP worker as saying that Diamond Harbour is the “Lyari of Bengal”, citing its proximity to the Sunderbans and the Bangladesh border to claim that infiltration is rampant there.
‘New Low’
Lashing out at the BJP, the Trinamool Congress posted a screenshot of the article on X and alleged that this was proof of the party’s “hostility” towards Bengal and its people crossing all limits.
“First, they called us ‘Bangladeshi’ for speaking in our mother tongue Bengali. Then they labelled us ‘Rohingyas’ for eating fish. And now, the @BJP4India has sunk to a new low, openly equating Bengal with Pakistan,” the Trinamool said.
Accusing the BJP of “continuous otherisation” of Bengal, the Trinamool claimed the party was doing so because it had failed to find a foothold in the state.
“A state that sacrificed the most blood for India’s freedom is being treated with utter despise (sic), contempt and hatred… This is deep-seated hatred and cultural aggression against Bengal. Bengal will never accept this humiliation,” it said.
West Bengal, which has seen a bitterly fought contest between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress, voted in two phases on April 23 and 29. Most exit polls have given the BJP an edge, predicting that the party’s sustained efforts to oust the Trinamool will pay off, and it will form a government in the state for the first time. Counting will be held on Monday.
