Shah dines at rickshaw-puller’s house, takes potshots at Mamata

Union Home Minister Amit Shah who is on a whirlwind campaign of West Bengal ahead of five more phases of polling, on Wednesday had lunch at the house of rickshaw puller in Domjur in Howrah district.

Pictures show Shah seated crossed-legged on the floor and being served rice, dal and vegetables at the house of rickshaw pulled, who is also a BJP member. BJP’s Domjur candidate Rajib Banerjee is also seen partaking in the meal. The constituency votes on April 10 in the fourth phase of the state elections. A former state minister of forests, Banerjee had recently jumped to the BJP camp from the Trinamool Congress.

“I visited only one gram panchayat, but with the enthusiasm I saw, I am confident that Rajib Banerjee will win with a majority,” Shah said.

“Mamata Banerjee’s frustration can be seen in her speeches and her behaviour,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while addressing a rally in Cooch Behar district, had accused the CRPF of harassing voters at the behest of the BJP. She also mentioned an incident where Sujata Mondal, the Trinamool Congress candidate from Arambagh was attacked by miscreants during the third phase of polling on Tuesday.

The home minister who held a roadshow in the area earlier in the day, asserted that the BJP will win over 200 seats in the state.

In similar gesture, the home minister had had lunch at the home of a tribal BJP worker in Bankura in November 2020. With the host being a member of the Matua community, Shah’s visit was construed as the BJP’s outreach to the community in the North 24 Parganas district. In December, Shah had paid a visit to the home of a Baul singer in Santiniketan and a farmer in Paschim Medinipur district in December 2020.

Voting is being conducted in the state in eight phases. The next poll dates are on April 10, 17, 22, 26 and 29 while the votes will be counted on May 2.