Onda (WB), April 11 Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated on Saturday that if the BJP is voted to power in West Bengal, it will end the TMC's "syndicate rule," and that those involved in atrocities against women in the state will be brought to justice.
Addressing a BJP rally in Onda in the Bankura district, Shah assured potato farmers that their produce would be sent across the country so that they receive fair prices.
"We will end the 'syndicate rule' of the TMC government after winning the Bengal assembly elections. It is time to say 'goodbye to Hirak Rani'," he said.
Shah referred to the Oscar-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray's classic "Hirak Rajar Deshe" (The Kingdom of Diamonds), released in 1980. The film, starring Utpal Dutt and Soumitra Chatterjee, is about a king who is an autocrat and tortures dissenters and his people.
Shah alleged that one has to "pay a bribe to the ruling party or go through syndicates for everything in the state, from buying cement to sand".
He claimed that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had asked women not to venture out at night, while a girl in BJP-ruled Assam can move around wearing gold ornaments at even 1 am without fear.
"A BJP government will ensure round-the-clock security for women in Bengal," he said.
Maintaining that the rape-murder of a doctor on duty in the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital brought shame to Bengal, he claimed that women in the state's Sandeshkhali had suffered atrocities for years at the hands of TMC goons.
"All those involved in atrocities against women during Mamata Banerjee's rule will be brought to justice," Shah asserted.
He also assured "potato farmers of Bengal that their produce will be sent across India, so that they get fair prices".
The West Bengal government had earlier imposed restrictions on selling potatoes to other states. Now, the farmers allege that they are facing a crisis due to a bumper crop this year.
The Union home minister also stated that infiltrators will be expelled once the BJP comes to power in Bengal.
"India is not a 'dharamshala' (free guest house), and infiltrators who pose a threat to the country will be expelled," Shah said.
Stating that more than 300 BJP workers were killed in Bengal in political violence, Shah assured that everyone responsible for these will be brought to book after a saffron party government is formed in the state.
Asserting that the Election Commission has made adequate arrangements with paramilitary forces to ensure free and fair elections, the union home minister said that action would be taken against those trying to indulge in any kind of mischief during the polling process.
"We will ensure that no TMC goon engages in mischief during the assembly polls," he said.
Elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held in two phases - on April 23 and April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.