BJP will return to power : Shah

BJP president Amit Shah Wednesday exuded confidence that the party will return to power in the ongoing parliamentary elections with Narendra Modi as prime minister.

He stepped up his attack on TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is among BJP's most strident critics, and said she was supporting those who wished to divide the country byseparating Kashmir from India.

"But this party (BJP) will continue its fight to ensure that Kashmir remains an integral part of India, no matter who is in power at the Centre," Shah said addressing rallies in different Lok Sabha constituencies of West Bengal which go to the polls in the fifth phase on May 6.

"Today we are in power and Narendra Modi is the prime minister. In the coming days too he will continue as the PM. But if a day comes when the BJP is no longer at the helm, its workers will still fight to ensure that Kashmir remains an integral part of India," he said.

He iterated that the saffron party, if re-elected to power, will scrap Article 370 in Kashmir that grants it special status.

"Give us 23 seats from Bengal to ensure our return to power, then we will scrap Article 370 from Kashmir after forming the next BJP government at the Centre," Shah claimed.

BJP has been targetting 23 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, where polls are being held in seven phases.

The BJP chief also demanded that Banerjee should make clear her stand on National Conference chief Omar Abdullah's demand for a separate prime minister for Kashmir.

"Mamata didi is supporting those who wish to divide India. We want to know what she has to say on Omar Abdullah's demand for two prime ministers in the country," he said.

Shah raked up the infiltration issue calling the infiltrators "termites" who are eating into the country's resources and asserted that BJP will "throw them out" after returning to power at the Centre.

"It is our commitment to implement the National Register of Citizens across the country in order to weed out the infiltrators. First, we will bring the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to ensure that eligible refugees get citizenship and then we will introduce NRC to throw out the infiltrators.

"The infiltrators are termites, they are eating into the country's resources," he asserted.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill will give refugee status to Hindus, Sikh, Christians, Jain and Buddhists from other countries and infiltrators will be driven out from the country, Shah said.

Infiltrators are vote banks of Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress supports them because of their votes. "For BJP such vote banks are not important", he said.

The Bill had been passed by the Modi government in the Lok Sabha on January 8 but was not introduced in the Rajya Sabha which had caused it to lapse.

Keeping up his attack against the TMC, Shah said "Mamata Banerjee is destroying democracy, while Narendra Modi government is committed to restoring democracy if returned to power".

Hitting out at TMC for the ponzi scheme scams in the state, he said many scam-tainted high profile personalities are yet to be punished in Bengal. If the Modi government returns to power those who were involved in chitfund scams will be punished within 90 days.

Claiming that BJP had sanctioned more money to West Bengal than the previous Congress-led NDA regime, Shah said the Manmohan Singh government had sanctioned Rs 1,32,000 crore to West Bengal, while the Narendra Modi government had sanctioned Rs 4,34,000 crore to it during its tenure.

During the day Shah addressed four rallies at Kalyani under Bongaon constituency, Panchla in Howrah constituency, Arambagh and Chinsurah in Hooghly constituency.

The Bongaon Lok Sabha seat has a sizeable Matua population that had migrated to West Bengal from Bangladesh in the 1950s, mostly due to religious persecution.

With an estimated population of 30 lakh in the state, the community can influence poll results in at least five Lok Sabha seats in Bengal.

Shah also claimed that lawlessness has increased in the state, with the Trinamool Congress dispensation letting loose goons to run its syndicates.

In West Bengal, syndicate refers to a group of businessmen, backed by the ruling party, operating mainly in those areas of the state that are witnessing a realty boom.

These businessmen allegedly force promoters and contractors to buy construction materials, often of inferior quality, at high prices.

The state, which was once known for its rich culture, is now a hub of "bomb and illegal gun-making factories", he said.

"Other than bomb manufacturing units, no factory has been set up in the state under the Mamata Banerjee government .... The sound of bomb explosions has silenced Rabindrasangeet in Bengal. Under the TMC rule, all three --mother, motherland and people (TMC slogan of maa, mati, manush) - are suffering," he said.

"Don't be afraid of the threats by the TMC goons, adequate arrangement has been made by the poll panel. Go without any fear and cast your votes to re-elect the Modi government," Shah added.