Addressing the crowd at Muchipara in Behala on Saturday, BJP candidate from Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari, alleged that West Bengal would become Kashmir if Trinamool is voted to power.
Referring to Bharatiya Jana Sangh (later succeeded by the Bharatiya Janata Party) founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Adhikari said, "Had Shyama Prasad Mukherjee not been there, this country would have been an Islamic country, and we would be living in Bangladesh. If they (TMC) came back to power, West Bengal will become Kashmir." A few weeks back, Adhikari had also slammed the Trinamool for their 'Jai Bangla' slogan, claiming it an attempt to turn West Bengal into Bangladesh.
Referring to the revocation of the special status of Kashmir granted under Article 370 in August 2019, former Chief Minister of Kashmir and National Conference Party leader Omar Abdullah slammed the comment by the right-wing candidate in a tweet, "But according to you BJP wallas Kashmir has become paradise after August 2019 so what's wrong with West Bengal becoming Kashmir? Anyway, Bengalis love Kashmir & visit us in large numbers, so we forgive you your stupid, tasteless comment."
Adhikari has been named by the BJP as the candidate for Nandigram. Following the announcement, Mamta Banerjee herself has decided to contest in the Nandigram seat, dropping her standing seat in Bhawanipur.
Reiterating his confidence to win against the standing CM, Adhikari said, "Nandigram is not a challenge for me. I am going to Nandigram to defeat her (Mamta Banerjee) and send her back to Kolkata. I thank the national party leadership for the responsibility given to me. I will work to make lotus bloom in Nandigram and across West Bengal. She is going to lose this election by over 50,000 votes."
West Bengal Assembly elections shall commence on March 27 and will be conducted in eight phases till April 29.