Kolkata, August 11: BJP President Amit Shah, on Saturday, addressed a rally in West Bengal for the first time after the controversial NRC Assam list. Amit Shah, speaking at the Yuva Swabhiman Samavesh Rally in Kolkata on Saturday, took on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, targeting her for politicising the NRC list issue. Shah, at the very beginning of his speech , said that "I have come here to oppose the TMC and Mamata Banerjee."

The TMC did not leave any stone unturned to oppose Amit Shah's rally. Posters had been put up near Amit Shah's rally venue at Mayo Road, asking "BJP leave Bengal" and posters with Mamata Banerjee's fist-clenching pose with slogans like "Anti Bengal BJP Go Back" could be seen in plenty on the streets of Kolkata.

"This shows that the TMC is afraid of our rally. The days of TMC are numbered in Bengal. The people of the state are waiting for good governance of the BJP," claimed West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh, when questioned about the posters of "BJP Go Back" near the rally.

Amit Shah's rally started with speakers raising slogans of Bharat Mata ki Jai and chants of "Amit Shah Jindabad " (Long Live Amit Shah). Member of Parliament from Asansol, and Union Minister Babul Supriyo, West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh, National General Secretary of the BJP,  Kailash Vijayvargiya, Rahul Sinha, Mukul Roy, MP Rupa Ganguly and other important leaders were present in the rally. BJP MP Poonam Mahajan also spoke at length at the rally before Amit Shah.

Amit Shah started his speech by exhorting those present in the rally to raise slogans and "bring change in West Bengal." Amit Shah, during his speech, kept referring to "possibility of change" in West Bengal, citing the huge crowd present in the Yuva Morcha. "Signals of all Bengali channels have been lowered so that people will not be able to watch us. But even if you try to suppress our voices, we will go to every district of Bengal and throw TMC out," said Amit Shah at the beginning of his rally.

Recalling Khudiram Bose's sacrifice, Shah said that West Bengal is the land of RamKrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekanand, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.

Shah said that "BJP is not Bangla Virodhi" (anti-Bangla) but Mamata Virodhi (anti Mamata). He also said that NRC will not stop even if West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants it. The BJP President also said that the BJP has come with the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016, wherein the Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh will not be removed from India, but he added that the BJP will not tolerate any "Bangladeshi illegal immigrant." Shah also spoke about the Assam Accord, and said that it was former PM Rajiv Gandhi, who had come with the accord, but added that Congress president Rahul Gandhi does not make his stand clear on the NRC.

Amit Shah said that though 19 states have BJP government and about 70 per cent of India is under BJP rule, BJP's Vijay Rath (victory stretch) is incomplete until BJP comes to power in West Bengal. He also urged the TMC, Congress and other political parties to make their stand clear on the NRC list and the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016. Shah attacked the TMC and alleged  the Mamata Banerjee of encouraging "Bangladeshi illegal immigrants." He also alleged the West Bengal government of corruption and said that Mamata Banerjee governement had not utilised the Rs 3.59 lakh crore given by Centre to West Bengal government.

"Earlier we used to hear the sound of 'Rabindra Sangeet' everyday in Bengal but now you hear only the sound of bomb explosions here," said Shah and attacked the Mamata government.

Shah also spoke on the Durga Visarjan row and dared CM Mamata Banerjee on the issue. Shah alleged the West Bengal government of cutting cable connection so that his rally could not be broadcast on the TV sets in West Bengal. Before ending his speech, he again urged the BJP cadre to bring change in West Bengal by ensuring BJP's victory in West Bengal.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 11, 2018 02:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).