Development for all, not cow vigilantism, would be the future slogan of the BJP in West Bengal. However, in the event of the party coming to power in the State, the elected government will decide on cow protection, BJP national president Amit Shah said here on Wednesday.
At his first press conference in Kolkata after the party’s victory in several elections across the country, he made it clear that winning West Bengal was the next big objective.
“The preamble of the Constitution prohibits cow slaughter. We will be building the party in Bengal first and then the elected government will decide on the issue [of cow slaughter],” Mr. Shah said.
Leather products was a key industry in West Bengal. The BJP president was asked several questions relating to the party’s cow protection policy since a ban on the industry would affect millions.
To a separate question, he said cases were registered against cow vigilantes and that the “border with Bangladesh will definitely be sealed” if the party came to power in West Bengal.
Mr. Shah said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was suffering from BJP phobia. She was seeing BJP in everything. “It is not the Communists or the Congress, but the BJP that she is acknowledging more often these days,” he said.
He accused the TMC of indulging in blatant corruption. He claimed that none of his party officials had charges of corruption against them.
“No one has been caught taking bribe on television,” he said.
He dismissed speculations about a TMC-BJP “understanding.” The BJP, he said, “is and will fight TMC tooth and nail in Bengal.”
Communal violence
He blamed the TMC for the growing communal violence and tension.
On the 30% minority-driven vote bank politics of Bengal, Mr. Shah said the BJP never divided people on minority-majority basis.
After the press conference, Mr. Shah visited Ms. Banerjee’s Bhawanipore constituency in South Kolkata to meet party workers. He also addressed a rally.
