New Delhi:

BJP President JP Nadda launched a scathing attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over ‘vote bank politics’ and said that the former is compromising with the nation for her vote bank.

JP Nadda accused Mamata Banerjee of providing shelter to infiltrators and giving them ID cards and ration cards, making them voters, and called such actions “anti-national”.

Answering the ways to stop violence in West Bengal, Mr Nadda said, “Law and order is a state subject, we (the centre) can support them but Mamata Banerjee’s intentions are not clear. Her intention is dubious.”

In an interview with news agency ANI, the BJP President slammed the West Bengal chief minister over the alleged Sandeshkhali incident and raised questions about her silence.

“She was silent on the case of Sheikh Shahjahan, the High Court had to give the enquiry to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Women were shouting and you even didn’t bother,” he said.

Asked about the allegations of Mamata Banerjee that the Sandeshkhali incident was a conspiracy of the BJP, Mr Nadda said, “Dishonest administrator, dishonest politician. If I’m the chief minister and a case like this comes to me, I’ll say that I’ll investigate into this. I’ll go into the details of it. Why was she quiet at first and later she blamed the BJP.”

“She compromised with the nation for the sake of a vote bank. TMC is providing shelter to infiltrators and giving them ID cards and ration cards, making them voters, this is anti-national activities. They also give protection to such people,” Mr Nadda added.

Sandeshkhali, a village in North 24 Parganas district, started hitting the headlines in February this year when villagers, mostly women, came out on the streets against the ruling TMC and Shahjahan (the main accused in the incident).

Women accused Shahjahan and his aides of perpetrating atrocities on them along with gobbling up their land. Multiple women on the island accused Shajahan and his aides of “land-grab and sexual assault” under coercion.

Meanwhile, the BJP President further accused Mamata Banerjee of “spreading information” regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act and said, “She is spreading misinformation about CAA. She’s doing anti-national things. CAA will not be given to someone who is coming from outside. Doesn’t Mamata understand this, is she so illiterate? No. She understands everything. But she is trying to misguide the innocent people.”

Speaking on why Mamata Banerjee left the INDIA alliance, Mr Nadda said, “I can’t speak about her thought process but her actions don’t suggest that she has a stable mind. She always stays unstable.”
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

A Congress leader has filed a petition in a court against BJP national president JP Nadda and party’s IT cell incharge Amit Malviya over a social media post by the Bharatiya Janata Party, showing party leader Rahul Gandhi as ‘a new age Ravan’.

In his petition, general secretary of Congress’ Rajasthan unit, Jaswant Gurjar, has pleaded that a case be registered against both BJP leaders under IPC Section 499 (false imputation against another person), 500 (defamation), 504 (intentional insult).

Jaswant Gurjar has filed the petition at Jaipur Metropolitan Court-11. The court has decided to hear the arguments on the plea on October 9.

A photograph of Rahul Gandhi morphed as Ravan in a poster put out from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s official handle on X has stirred a controversy, triggering strong criticism from the Congress, which has called it “unacceptable” and “downright dangerous”.

“The petition has been admitted by the court and the hearing for the case has been scheduled on October 9,” Mr Gurjar said.

“The accused publicised the post deliberately with ill-intention on October 5 and the aim of the accused is to insult and to harm the goodwill of Congress and people associated with it and to make political gains,” the plea said.

The petition said that the BJP leaders deliberately presented Gandhi as anti-Ram and anti-religion to instigate people against him.

The petitioner has pleaded before the court to get the statements of both the accused recorded and get the matter investigated.

The Congress party has protested against the poster at several places across the country.

The poster showed Gandhi with several heads, with the title “Bharat Khatre Mein Hai – A Congress party production. Directed by George Soros”.

The post by the BJP accompanying the poster said, “The new age Ravan is here. He is evil. Anti-Dharma. Anti-Ram. His aim is to destroy Bharat.”

George Soros, a Hungarian-born American financier, philanthropist, and activist, had come under fire from the BJP after he made critical comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)