Kolkata, Mar 28 (PTI) BJP’s Krishnagar Lok Sabha candidate ‘Rajmata’ Amrita Roy on Thursday stuck to her stand that the 18th century Bengal king Krishnachandra Roy sided with the British during the Battle of Plassey in 1757 as Nawab Siraj-ud-Daullah was a tyrant and Santana dharma was under threat during his rule.
The assertion of the first-time contestant who belongs to the family of Krishnachandra Roy has created controversy as the Trinamool Congress has been campaigning that the Maharaja had sided with Mir Jafar, a military general who helped the British defeat Siraj in the Battle of Plassey of 1757 and later became the king.
In an interview with PTI, Amrita Roy who has been pitted against the TMC’s Mahua Moitra in Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat, also said that the “misrule and corruption” of the Trinamool Congress regime in West Bengal has compelled her to join politics and work for the development of the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called up Roy who is married to Soumish Chandra Roy, the 39th descendant of Maharaja Krishnachandra Roy.
According to the details of the conversation shared by the party, she told the prime minister that her family is being called traitors and noted that Krishnachandra Roy worked for people and joined hands with other kings to save “Sanatan Dharma”.
Roy told PTI that the TMC should read the history before making baseless remarks.
“The allegation is Maharaja Krishnachandra Roy had sided with the British. The question is why did he do that? It’s because of the tyranny of Siraj-ud-Daullah. If Maharaja Krishnachandra Roy had not done that, Hinduism and the Bengali language would not have survived in Bengal,” Roy said.
Maharaja Krishnachandra Roy, born in 1710 and reigning until 1783, was a key figure in Nadia’s history, known for resisting Siraj-ud-Daulah, and fostering public festivals like the Durga Puja and Jagadhatri Puja. His governance, spanning 55 years, also left an indelible mark on Bengal’s administrative reforms.
The TMC has started a social media campaign claiming that Krishnachandra Roy had allied with Mir Jafar, Jagat Seth, and others and had sided with the British in the fight against Siraj-ud-Daulah.
“The Santan dharma was under threat because of Siraj-Ud-Daulah’s tyranny. Maharaja Krishnachandra Roy saved Bengal and Hinduism,” she said.
Roy accused the TMC of misconstruing historical facts. “Joining politics was a conscious decision. I am an apolitical person but I have joined the BJP on a request since it is a good platform. All of us living in Bengal are fed up with the misrule of the TMC. People are not happy with the TMC,” she said.
Roy claimed that wherever she had gone for campaigning, she witnessed how people have been deprived of their rights due to corruption and misrule.
“I want to work for the development of the people of the state. People had voted for the TMC with a lot of expectations, but they are disappointed now. You can say this disappointment has forced me into politics. As a woman and as a citizen, I thought I have a role to play given the situation of the state,” she said.
A fashion designer by profession, Roy claimed that the kind of response she has been getting while campaigning gives her enough confidence to vouch that she would win the seat by a huge margin defeating the TMC’s Mahua Moitra.
“I don’t consider my rival as a threat as the response and love that I have been getting speaks a lot about my acceptance among the people of Krishnanagar,” the Rajmata whose family enjoys considerable respect in the Krishnanagar area, said.
On Sandeshkhali, where a section of women accused the TMC leaders of sexual abuse, Roy said such “shameful incidents” reflect the ground situation in the state.
She stated that women’s education and health would be her focus areas if she wins the election.
“There are no good hospitals in Krishnanagar. You have to go to Kolkata or Kalyani (in the same district) to get good treatment,” she said.
The Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat would go to polls on May 13 in the fourth phase. PTI PNT NN
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