Political slugfest in Bengal over Trinamool leader Kalyan Banerjee's remarks linking PM Modi with Delhi blast

Kolkata, Nov 15 (IANS) A political slugfest has surfaced in West Bengal on Saturday over a controversial statement made by four-time Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member and senior advocate of Calcutta High Court, Kalyan Banerjee, during the day linking Prime Minister Narendra Modi in connection with the car explosion in New Delhi earlier this week, killing 12 persons.

While speaking to the media persons, Banerjee said that the blast was conducted deliberately just a day before the second phase of the Bihar Assembly polls, just to create a sympathy wave in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The car explosion took place near Red Fort Metro Station in Delhi on the evening of November 10, and on November 11, the second phase of the two-phase Bihar polls took place.

On Friday, after the announcement of the Bihar Assembly poll results, where the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) established a landslide victory, the Prime Minister said that the Bihar results have paved the way for the BJP's victory in West Bengal for the 2026 state Assembly polls.

"I would like to assure the people of West Bengal that "Jungle Raj" will end in West Bengal in 2026," the Prime Minister said on Friday.

Reacting to the Prime Minister's comments regarding the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls, Kalyan Banerjee said on Saturday that the Delhi car explosion was conducted deliberately just a day before the second phase of the Bihar Assembly polls, just to create a sympathy wave in favour of the BJP, and also held the Prime Minister responsible for masterminding that conspiracy.

"The Prime Minister has destroyed the democratic ambience in India. Hundreds of people are dying in the country. He had won by planting bombs in the car near the Red Fort Metro station the night before the second phase of the Bihar election. The 'jungle raj' has been established in the country by the Prime Minister himself. When you were the Chief Minister in Gujarat, you were killing people. You established jungle raj in Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. On the contrary, the people of West Bengal are at peace. The people of West Bengal gave a fitting reply to the BJP in 2021. They will give a befitting reply to the BJP again in 2026," Banerjee added.

Scribe-turned-politician and BJP's state General Secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay said that a competition is going on between Kalyan Banerjee and a state spokesman of Trinamool Congress on who is more capable of pronouncing slurs at the Prime Minister of the country.

"The more they use such slurs, the more popularity the BJP will gain in West Bengal. Our Prime Minister is in the hearts of common people," Chattopadhyay added.

--IANS

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