 "West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee")
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on asked the people of the state not to support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the saffron outfit "divides people in the name of religion."
"We do not believe in the BJP's Hindutva which divides people. They are not Hindus. They defame Hinduism. They create communal tension in the name of religion," she said at a public meeting here.
"I am a Hindu. I love and respect all religions. We will not tolerate communal flare-up in the name of religion," she said.
The chief minister was apparently responding to the BJP's accusation on Monday that her government was preventing Hindus from observing religious festivals like Ram Navami and pursuing politics of minority appeasement.
BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya had stated that the party would oust the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government through people's movement if the latter continued with its minority appeasement policy.
Mamata mocked that the Centre was even talking about Aadhaar cards for cows.
Commenting on the Teesta water sharing dispute, she said, "We love Bangladesh. But if we give Teesta water, north Bengal will not get water. We have given an alternative proposal."
Talking about the development in Cooch Behar district, the TMC leader said, "We have set up Panchanan Barma University, 10 Krishak Bazars, ITIs, polytechnics and two medical colleges here."
The funds were also allotted for Cooch Behar stadium, she added.
