All India Trinamool Congress General Secretary, Abhishek Banerjee on Monday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over their silence on Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s alleged threat to target Kolkata.
“Two days ago, Khawaja Asif, Defence Minister of Pakistan, said that they will blow up Kolkata. PM Modi, Union HM Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are silent. I have written the name of Khawaja Asif on a paper. The day Mamata Banerjee and the INDIA alliance will form the government, we will enter their home and kill them,” he said.
Abhishek Banerjee on Monday launched a sharp attack on PM Modi and HM Shah, accusing them of not being able to “muster the courage” to condemn Khawaja Asif’s reported open threat to strike Kolkata.
Addressing the public rally, Banerjee said, “The self-proclaimed ’56-inch’ Prime Minister and his Home Minister are so busy with vote prachar that they have no time to respond to direct threats of external aggression against Bengal. Pakistan’s Defence Minister has openly threatened to strike Kolkata, yet neither Narendra Modi nor Amit Shah could muster the courage to condemn this grave attack on a state of the Indian Union and India’s sovereignty.”
“Either the lives of the people of Bengal simply don’t matter to them, or they are too gutless and cowardly to take a stand. If they have even an ounce of courage, let them give free rein to the Central Forces, BSF, and the Indian Army to reclaim Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Will Narendra Modi dare? Will Amit Shah dare? Will Rajnath Singh dare?” he added.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif reportedly said on Saturday that Islamabad would respond by striking Kolkata if India undertakes any future misadventure.
“If India attempts another false-flag operation, then, God willing, we will take it to Kolkata,” Asif told reporters in his hometown of Sialkot.
The West Bengal Assembly elections are set to see an intense contest between the TMC and the BJP, with several other parties vying for influence in the state.
Voting for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
In the previous Assembly elections held in 2021 over eight phases, the TMC secured a sweeping victory with 213 seats after a fierce battle with the BJP, which won 77 seats, marking party’s best performance in the state. The Congress and the Left Front failed to win any seats in that election.
Bureau Report
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