Rajnath reaches out to Mamata

Stepping up the party’s moves to reach out to TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, BJP president Rajnath Singh on Wednesday talked to her over phone and condemned her heckling by CPI(M) protesters here while demanding a thorough probe into the incident.

Mr. Singh said he agreed with Ms. Mamata’s contention that Delhi was not a safe place and attacked the Congress-led UPA government over the situation in the national capital which he said was “slipping into a state of anarchy with each passing day.”

“Whatever has happened with Mamata

ji and (West Bengal Finance Minister) Amit Mitra, I condemn it strongly. In clean politics, it is expected that if any political party or organisation wants to lodge its protest on an issue, there is a way to do so. But if anyone tries to lodge its protest by taking to violence, I feel the government should take stern steps against them,” Mr. Singh said.

The BJP chief said “Delhi is slipping into a state of anarchy every passing day. When Chief Ministers and Finance Ministers are not safe in Delhi, then one can imagine how will the common man remain safe. I demand that there should be a proper investigation and action on this issue.”

Mr. Singh alleged the situation in Delhi is such under the Congress-led UPA government that even Chief Ministers and Finance Ministers don’t feel safe.

BJP leaders have been trying to reach out to the TMC Chief in a bid to win her over ahead of next general elections.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had on Tuesday commended Mamata government.