New Delhi: The BJP’s West Bengal state unit Sunday posted a video clip of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reciting an Islamic prayer at a public event.
“If CM Mamata Banerjee can recite an Islamic prayer at a West Bengal government event, why does she have a problem being greeted with Jai Shree Ram? Appeasement?” the BJP tweeted.
If CM Mamata Banerjee can recite an Islamic prayer at a West Bengal government event, why does she have a problem being greeted with Jai Shree Ram?
Appeasement?
She disgraced Bengal and insulted Netaji’s legacy by her conduct at the event to commemorate Netaji’s anniversary. pic.twitter.com/OpQ7MR60m2
— BJP Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) January 24, 2021
BJP’s remarks were in reference to Banerjee’s decision not to speak at an event in Kolkata Saturday to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose after “Jai Shri Ram” slogans were raised. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present at the event. “She disgraced Bengal and insulted Netaji’s legacy by her conduct at the event to commemorate Netaji’s anniversary,” the BJP added.
The 12-second video clip has over 28,000 views and has been retweeted nearly 2,000 times.
The video first went viral on 19 May 2019 when author Madhu Kishwar shared it with a caption, “Time for Jehadi Mamta to move to Saudi Arabia or Pakistan”.
Time for #JehadiMamta to move to Saudi Arabia or Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/JqIXejlanr
— Madhu Purnima Kishwar (@madhukishwar) May 19, 2019
Fact check
The viral clip shared by the BJP, however, is almost three years old and is incomplete. The full video, which is 25-minute long, was uploaded by the Trinamool Congress’ official YouTube channel on 2 January 2018, with the title — ‘Bengal CM inaugurates Mati Utsav’, 2018 in Mati Tirtha-Krishi Katha, Purba Burdwan’.
At the 21.28-minute mark in the video, Banerjee can be heard reciting not only Islamic verses but Hindu, Christian and Sikh prayers too.
She begins with reciting “Sarba Mangala Mangallye”, a Hindu mantra for goddess Durga, followed by an Islamic verse invoking Allah. She then says, “May God bless all and concludes with a Sikh prayer by saying, “Wahe Guruji ka khalsa, wahe Guruji ki fateh.”
News channel Times Now Sunday acknowledged that it was an “old video clip”, but claimed Banerjee had been “speaking at a programme specially meant for minority students and minority development”. However, that is not true.
Banerjee had made the remarks in 2018 while inaugurating the ‘Mati Utsav’ event, an initiative started by her government in 2013 to promote the agriculture sector in the state, at an event in Burdwan district in West Bengal.
In collaboration with SM Hoaxslayer
Also read: Viral video of Muslim man and woman beating police officer with slippers is from 2018