Kolkata, Apr 17 (PTI) Alleging that the TMC had conspired to include names of infiltrators in the electoral rolls, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday claimed that while the party was objecting to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), people whose names had been deleted for “rightful reasons” had not protested.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Fadnavis claimed the border areas of West Bengal have witnessed demographic changes due to infiltration, which was a threat to national security.
“Those whose names were deleted for rightful reasons did not protest. Why does only the TMC have an issue? The Supreme Court made certain observations about SIR but did not stop it, yet the TMC wanted to halt the process altogether,” he said.
“The SIR has constitutional provisions that till the end, if any wronged person seeks redressal, they can take legal recourse and appeal. I hail the Supreme Court order in this regard,” he said, adding that illegal immigrants have been found to be involved in many incidents of attacks in the country.
Fadnavis said an exercise like the SIR should be conducted every 10 years to remove names of the dead, shifted and unauthorised voters, alleging that the ruling TMC opposed it to win the upcoming assembly polls through “fraudulent means”.
Accusing the TMC of unleashing a reign of terror in West Bengal, Fadnavis alleged that BJP workers had been killed, tortured and harassed, while women were brutalised after the previous elections.
“This injustice will not be allowed to happen anymore. People have resolved that it won’t be accepted anymore. TMC will be defeated this time,” he asserted.
Responding to TMC’s allegations of attacks on Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states such as Maharashtra, he denied the claims and said it was worth examining why people from West Bengal were leaving the state for work.
“The TMC government should feel ashamed if people of Bengal have to leave the state for every kind of job. It reflects a failure on the part of the government. I am not talking only about high-end jobs, but all kinds of work,” he said.
Fadnavis said cities like Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur have thriving Bengali communities who celebrate festivals such as Durga Puja and Kali Puja in a grand manner, with pandals comparable to those in Kolkata.
“Our party was founded in Bengal by Syama Prasad Mookerjee. We are very much part of Bengal. Our leaders in Bengal are all sons and daughters of the soil,” he said, responding to a question on TMC calling BJP leaders “bahiragoto” (outsiders).
Questioning TMC’s claims of concern for West Bengal, Fadnavis alleged the state was marked by “atrocities, irregularities and corruption” under the ruling dispensation.
He said the state had slipped in attracting investments, as industrialists are afraid to invest here because of the TMC.
“The entire ecosystem is not industry-friendly in Bengal under TMC, if you take into account past happenings, including Singur. BJP will bring ease of doing business here,” he said.
“If an investor has any issue with ED, he can move to court. If an investor has any issue with TMC, he cannot redress the grievance as the ruling party is over and above the law. He has to surrender to their diktat. But not anymore,” he said.
Claiming that West Bengal was at the bottom in attracting foreign direct investment, Fadnavis said he was confident that the state would regain its position as a leading investment destination in the country under a BJP CM.
He alleged that Rs 54,292 crore in central assistance received by West Bengal had no audit report, as flagged in a recent CAG report.
“The state did not issue any utilisation certificate, and they are complaining about not getting any funds,” he said, accusing the TMC of misleading people through false poll propaganda. PTI SUS SOM
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