Kolkata, May 6: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scared to stop the illegal infiltrators in the state as these infiltrators are the "principal vote bank" of Trinamool Congress. “The Chief Minister is scared to take action against the illegal infiltrators. These infiltrators are her principal vote bank. She should be ashamed for nurturing the menace of illegal infiltration and converting them into her vote bank,” the Home Minister said while addressing an election meeting at the Burdwan-Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency in support of the party candidate Dilip Ghosh.

He alleged that once a thriving industrial belt, the Durgapur-Asansol has dried up due to the rampant extortion in the area. “No one is ready to invest in Durgapur-Asansol out of the fear of extortion. The anti-social elements close to the ‘nephew’ are extorting money and sending them to Kolkata,” the Union Home Minister said. Gandhinagar Lok Sabha Election 2024: Amit Shah Eyes Victory in BJP's Bastion, to Face Congress' Sonal Patel.

Claiming that BJP had set a target to win at least 30 seats from West Bengal in the ongoing Lok Sabha election to ensure that PM Modi wins a third consecutive term. “A third term for Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister will mean the end of the terror menace in the entire country. It will ensure that the Indian economy will emerge as the third largest global economy.”

He also attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his alleged opposition to the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). “Rahul Baba opposed the step. I asked him the reason. He said that bloodshed would take place in J&K if Article 370 is abrogated. In reality, nothing happened,” he said. Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Amit Shah Files His Nomination From Gujarat’s Gandhinagar, Bhupendra Patel Accompanies Him (Watch Video).

Referring to alleged sexual harassment cases in Sandeshkhali, he said that since the state police are not taking any action against the accused, the Calcutta High Court had no other option but to hand over the investigation process to CBI. “Should not a leader like Sheikh Shahjahan be put behind bars? The women have been sexually harassed in a state that has a woman Chief Minister,” Shah said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 06, 2024 04:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).