Kolkata: The war of words between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi hit a new low when the former called the BJP prime ministerial hopeful a “donkey”.
Modi who was in the state for the fifth consecutive time, addressing three consecutive rallies that would go to polls on the last phase of elections on May 12, attacked Banerjee for the lack of development in the state and the crisis over the chit-fund scam.
“She came to power on slogan of change. But nothing has changed in Bengal, except herself,” Modi said. He continued to hint that the state government was protecting the perpetrators of the Saradha chit fund scam, saying, “Didi ko gussa kyon aata hai? (Why does didi get so angry?)”
Banerjee responded equally, saying it was only because of their courtesy that Modi had been allowed to arrive in the state. “If I wanted I could have not allowed him (Modi) to get down from the aircraft,” she said. “I will not tolerate anyone who will insult Bengal.”
Women’s security
Modi also racked up the issue of women’s security in the state, as Bengal ranked number one in cases of violence against women.
“The state which worships goddess Durga, see the condition of women here,” Modi said while addressing a rally in North Kolkata. He also retorted to Banerjee’s earlier statement of sending him to jail on charges of trying to divide Bengal. “Just tell me which jail I have to go. I will go there myself. I am here. My first job in jail will be to learn the Bengali language,” Modi said.
This got Banerjee even more furious, and she took to attacking Modi over his matrimonial life.
“A person who cannot take care of his own wife is trying to teach us how to take care of women,” she said.
Sign of nervousness
An analyst, however, believes that this attack is a sign of nervousness from the TMC camp which is worried over the sudden rise of the BJP in the state. “In all the nine rallies that Modi has attended in the state, there was unprecedented turnout, especially by the young and first-time voters, making the ruling party nervous,” said Pradip Sen, a political watcher.
“Even Atal Bihari Vajpayee could not attract such crowds in the state the way Modi has done. This can have serious effect especially in the urban areas of the state, where Modi is known to be a phenomenon,” he added.
In the 2009 elections, BJP had won 21 per cent of the votes in the the urban constituencies of West Bengal, making this election the most unpredictable one considering the four-cornered fight that the state is witnessing.
