Intensifying her tirade against Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said “those who stoke riots can never be the leader of the nation”.
“If you want to be in Indian politics, you have to accept secularism and that is what our Constitution says,” she told reporters without taking Modi’s name.
“Secularism means seeing everyone from the same eyes ... The leaders of the country should be like Ambedkar.”
At her rally here, Ms Banerjee accused the BJP prime ministerial hopeful of instigating ‘parochial feelings’ and said people from all parts of the country had been living in Bengal for centuries.
“Will you ignite communal riots by coming to Kolkata? Those who speak Bengali will be packed off to Bangladesh — what courage! Such a thing will not happen in Bengal,” she said without naming Mr Modi, who at a poll rally in Serampore in neighbouring Hooghly district on April 27 had threatened to deport Bangladeshi immigrants if NDA came to power.
“We will not allow any division between Bengalis and non-Bengalis,” she said.
Mr Modi had said Bangladeshi immigrants were being welcomed with red carpets by Ms Banerjee for vote bank politics.
She also attacked Congress saying it was responsible for the surge of BJP. “Congress is responsible for the communalism of BJP,” she said.
“BJP had a surge also because of Congress-led UPA government’s failure to check spiralling prices of essential commodities, petrol and diesel and also for selling out the country,” the Trinamool Congress chief said.
