Barrackpore (WB), May 17 (PTI) BJP leader Arjun Singh on Friday asserted that the saffron party does not indulge in communal politics, as it believes in taking along everyone.

Singh, the BJP candidate from the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat, was responding to claims by the ruling TMC in West Bengal about the BJP playing religion-based politics.

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“We believe in taking along everyone without appeasment. And, why can't we highlight the issue of building the Ram Mandir (in Ayodhya) before the elections? How can talking about this issue in campaigns be termed as communal,” he told PTI video.

Singh, who is seeking re-election from the constituency in North 24 Parganas district, also accused Chief Minister and TMC boss Mamata Banerjee of harping on local issues and targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a “brazen and unseemly” manner in poll rallies.

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“But, all that will not work,” he asserted.

“I am reaching out to the people, highlighting the Sandeshkhali issue that brought shame to every resident of the state, as well as the unprecedented scale of corruption under the TMC rule... The voters are ready to respond to these in the polls,” Singh said.

On the challenge from his TMC rival and one-time colleague, Partha Bhowmick, Singh said there is no competition with the state minister.

“His (Bhowmick's) reach is very limited. I have no competition with him. I am 200 per cent sure about my win,” the BJP leader claimed.

“What does the public ask of a politician? They want their leader to listen to people's issues and work for them. They do not see which party the leader belongs to. I believe I have already proved myself on this front,” he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)