Maharashtra Minister Refers To Mamata Banerjee As ‘Terrorist’
Mumbai: Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha courted controversy after he referred to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as a “terrorist” on Saturday. Mr. Lodha made this statement while addressing the booklet titled Bangladeshi Spy Birth Certificate Scam, written by his party colleague and former MP Kirit Somaiya, at the BJP headquarters in South Mumbai. The booklet was released by Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan.
Alleging large-scale irregularities, Mr. Lodha alleged that more than 10 centers have been set up in West Bengal in every district bordering Bangladesh to issue fake birth certificates to illegal immigrants. He also alleged that such documents were used to obtain Aadhaar cards and other identity documents.
Addressing the meeting, the minister said he had worked with Mr Somaiya on the issue of illegal migration and found that migrants were procuring fake birth certificates and Aadhaar cards in areas such as Malwani in Mumbai’s Malad suburb. “There is a pattern. Earlier West Bengal was ruled by the Communists and now it is ruled by the terrorist Mamata Banerjee. Centers have been set up to feed the vote banks. Old birth certificates are issued, schools issue certificates for educational qualifications and then these people are sent to Mumbai, Assam and other places,” he said.
Mr. Lodha said West Bengal was expected to go to Assembly elections within a year and urged Mr. Somaiya to visit the State and “give guidance” on illegal immigration.
Referring to the agitation against illegal immigrants launched in Assam nearly 35 years ago, Mr. Lodha said the movement lasted for 12 years and resulted in the death of thousands of people. “Assam has been liberated,” he claimed.
“To save Mumbai and Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched a campaign to make the state free of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants. More than 2,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshis have been deported. But this is not the responsibility of Mr. Fadnavis alone. We all must work towards this goal,” Mr. Lodha said.
In his speech, Mr. Chavan praised Mr. Somaiya’s “loyalty to the nation” and said he was taking forward the issues raised by Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. He claimed that Mr. Somaiya had provided evidence to the authorities showing that around 2.25 lakh Bangladeshis and Rohingya in Maharashtra had obtained birth certificates illegally.
These remarks sparked harsh criticism from Congress. AICC secretary and Telangana in-charge Sachin Sawant criticized Mr. Lodha for calling an elected chief minister a “terrorist” and demanded details of those allegedly deported.
Mr. Sawant, in a post on
Mr Sawant also demanded the state government to make public the names of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas allegedly deported from Mumbai and Maharashtra, details of investigations initiated against them and the number of cases referred to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
