Trinamul 'glee' at speech

TT, Calcutta: Amit Shah's speech gave Trinamul enough reasons to be happy, sources in the ruling party said and pointed out that the BJP chief's criticism of Mamata Banerjee was a tacit acknowledgement of her standing as a champion of minority rights.

Such a role is crucial to the fulfilment of Mamata's national ambitions. "Shah tried to vilify her (Mamata) for the very things she takes pride in, the very things that have been working in her favour. This will not really help the saffron camp's cause. He virtually admitted she is one of the biggest forces to reckon with as the Lok Sabha polls draw nearer," said a Trinamul insider.

"In trying to push his agenda of polarisation, he only ended up further consolidating anti-BJP votes in her (Mamata's) favour in Bengal and anti-BJP sentiments in her favour outside the state," the Trinamul leader added.

Shah's repeated pleas to vote his party to power in Bengal in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his leadership exposed the "total absence" of faces in the state BJP who could be projected as alternatives to Mamata, the Trinamul sources said.

A senior Trinamul MP said Shah's assertion, that the BJP's power stints in 19 states mean nothing if its juggernaut has to stop outside Bengal, indicated the rising importance of Bengal in national politics, thanks to Mamata's role in the pan-India Opposition.

"The epicentre of the Lok Sabha polls next year - Shah has virtually admitted this - is Bengal and the two main contenders in that contest are Modi and Didi. This has been the reality for nearly two years now. But Shah's public acknowledgement today (Saturday) is very significant," the MP said.

Officially, Trinamul slammed Shah's remarks and asked him to apologise for having "insulted" Bengal. "Amit Shah has insulted Bengal. He doesn't understand Bengal and its people and has no knowledge of its tradition and culture. Blatant lies.... We are giving him 72 hours, or else we will take legal action against him," said Derek O'Brien, Trinamul's leader in the Rajya Sabha, describing Shah's rally as a "flop show".

"Your Gujarat type of politics of robbery and dacoity will not be successful here. Communal politics will not work here. Don't you dare engage in mud-slinging against Mamata Banerjee," O'Brien added.