Mamata Banerjee objects to ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan, BJP calls her intolerant

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday got angry at a group of villagers shouting "Jai Shree Ram" in front of her convoy in West Midnapore district's Chandrakona. Two Bharatiya Janata Party supporters, Sitaram Midya and Sayan Midya, were detained by police after the incident. Alok Rajoria, district superintendent of police, said they were charged with insulting the chief minister.

The video shows Banerjee’s convoy passing by and some people chanting ‘Jai Shriram.’ Banerjee rolled down the window of her car and asked the driver to stop. Then she got off and asked those raising the slogans to come talk to her. But they fled. Banerjee can be seen saying, “Palachhis keno? Haridas sob. Galagali dichhe.” (Why are you running away? You riff raff. Badmouthing me.)

Why is DIDI so upset with chants of JAI SHRI RAM & why does she call it "GALAGALI"? pic.twitter.com/dTrBqrS6Oo

— BJP Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) May 4, 2019

The BJP reacted sharply. “She (Banerjee) feels that the words Jai Shriram are an insult but recites wrong mantras (Sanskrit scripts offered to Hindu gods) wherever she goes. Why is she so scared of Jai Shriram? Are these words illegal in West Bengal? She should decide that first,” said Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh to Hindustan Times.

The TMC responded to the BJP by saying that the party is desperate to win in West Bengal and this is the reason why they are twisting the whole incident. “Desperate BJP in Bengal doing what they do best. Shame on their desperation to put spin on a video and create falsehood. Bengal has rejected them and they know that. They’ll have no place to hide on May 23,” tweeted TMC.