BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday dared the Trinamool Congress, saying that the ruling party will not be able to stop Narendra Modi's chariot and the "lotus will bloom" in Bengal, despite the TMC's efforts to stop it.
"TMC may think they can stop Modiji's chariot, but they cannot stop it. The more they try to stop us, the more the lotus will bloom here," he said at a meeting of BJP workers at Naxalbari.
"In 2019 (Lok Sabha polls), the BJP will get the maximum number of seats in West Bengal. The people of the country will witness it," claimed Shah. "The TMC is unleashing violence but in the end, the BJP's victory in Bengal is certain. No one can stop it," he added. "Bengal, which was once at the forefront of development, now lags behind. Unemployment is high and the TMC government is following the policy of appeasement (of minorities)," alleged Shah.
The BJP chief, who arrived here on a three-day visit, had lunch at the house of a tribal family before interacting with party workers.
Sitting on the floor of Raju Mahali's house at Dakkhin Katiajote village in Naxalbari, he had a meal of rice, moong dal, 'potol' (a kind of gourd) fry, squash curry, salad and papad, served on a banana leaf.
Shah said he would tour five states in 15 days. Talking about Modi's 'Sabka sath sabka vikas' slogan, he claimed that development was reaching "every nook and corner" of the country, but the TMC government was "not allowing" it to happen in Bengal.
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"The Naxals had started their violent activities here at Naxalbari and now, development and progress will start from here," Shah said, adding, "Under Narendra Modi's leadership, Bengal will very soon be on the path of development."
Lauding the Centre's demonetisation move, the BJP chief claimed that it had proved to be "beneficial" for the country and had played a "big role" in the recently-held Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh.