Kolkata, April 10 – Union Home Minister Amit Shah outrightly rejected any deal between former Trinamool Congress legislator Humayun Kabir's party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for "polarizing" the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal, stating that the two parties are completely different.
He also criticized Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee, hinting that the ruling party was behind the viral audio clip of Humayun Kabir, in which the latter purportedly "assured" state BJP leaders of "unwavering support in removing the Trinamool from power".
When questioned about the "Kabir-BJP deal" to create a religious divide in the poll-bound state of Bengal, Amit Shah said, "You are not aware of Mamata's capabilities; she can create 2,000 such videos."
Ruling out any possibility of an alliance with Kabir's party, he stated, "Humayun Kabir and the BJP are completely different – one is the North Pole, and the other is the South Pole. We would rather remain in opposition for another 20 years, rather than aligning with a party that calls for building the Babri Masjid in Bengal."
The controversy over the Rs 1,000 crore deal erupted after Trinamool leaders held a press conference on Thursday, in which they labelled Humayun Kabir as the "B-team" of the BJP and claimed that the party had entered into a clandestine agreement to create and foment religious divisions in the upcoming elections.
In the press conference held by West Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim and Aroop Biswas on Thursday, an audio clip purportedly of Humayun Kabir was released, in which they claimed that Kabir and his newly formed Aam Aadmi Unnayan Party (AAUP) were "assuring the BJP of support in the elections".
In the unverified audio clip, Kabir was reportedly heard assuring an unidentified person that if the BJP could ensure attracting the majority of the Hindu votes this time, he would be instrumental in ensuring the division of the Muslim voters, and he would do that to throw the Trinamool Congress out of power in the state.
In the purported audio clip, Kabir was also heard claiming to be in regular contact with the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, and assuring that he and his party would give 100% support to the new BJP chief minister.
The alleged leaked tape created a flutter in political circles, with the ruling Trinamool accusing the BJP of attempting to influence the elections through money power.
Following this, Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM snapped ties with the fledgling party and, on Friday, announced its decision to withdraw from the alliance with Humayun Kabir and his new political outfit.
