Mamata Banerjee is in a unique quagmire this assembly elections. Sensing BJP is sweeping the Hindu votes courtesy the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and heavyweight leaders like Suvendu Adhikari — the Bengal CM, usually gung-ho about her appeasement style of politics to woo the Muslims, has ditched the old ways and started to monkey balance between both camps. In an election rally speech in Cooch Behar, Didi took a dig at AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi by indirectly calling him a BJP agent parachuted in Bengal to divide the Muslim votes.
“A person came to Bengal from Hyderabad, he took money from BJP. Don’t allow him here,” said Mamata during the rally.
A person came to Bengal from Hyderabad, he took money from BJP. Don't allow him here: West Bengal CM and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee, in Cooch Behar #WestBengalPolls pic.twitter.com/JcZNhTpkkh
— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2021
However, Owaisi was not the one to take the shot lying down, he retaliated and retaliated in some fashion on Twitter by writing a long thread and taking Mamata to the cleaners for her style of politics. In turn, he fully exposed his ‘already-know’ bias of batting for the Muslims.
Reminding netizens that the Bengal CM took BJP’s side in the alleged ‘2002 Gujarat Pogrom’, Owaisi asked if Mamata Banerjee did this for free, for a price or for a ministerial position.
On 30 April 2002, as Gujarat was burning & victims were still in camps, Lok Sabha was discussing a motion to condemn Gujarat pogrom. @MamataOfficial voted against it & for BJP
Did she sell off Gujarat's victims for a price, for free or for a ministerial position?
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) April 2, 2021
The counter punches didn’t stop coming as Owaisi compared Mamata and her TMC to a gang of criminals who divide territory and try to keep rookies out of the streets.
“Only criminal gangs divide up territories between themselves & attack each other when someone enters. Since I’m not part of this criminal syndicate, it’s natural that Mamata Banerjee is rattled. You can’t buy people who have no Gotra. You can’t scare people who know no fear”.
Only criminal gangs divide up territories between themselves & attack each other when someone enters. Since I'm not part of this criminal syndicate, it's natural that @MamataOfficial is rattled
You can't buy people who have no Gotra. You can't scare people who know no fear 2/n
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) April 2, 2021
The Hyderabad MP dig up facts about Muslims and their pitiable living conditions under Mamata’s rule and later called her RSS’s favourite turned self-proclaimed secularist. Owaisi signed off his rant by asking the Muslims to vote for him and his party, rather than ‘old-allies’ of the BJP.
“Will we continue voting for old BJP allies in exchange for indignity & humiliation? Not if this Hyderabadi Muslim has anything to say about it. So I’m going to question @MamataOfficial for doing nothing for Muslims apart from creating fear. We fear & have hope from Allah only” tweeted Owiasi.
For the optics it looked like Owaisi was targeting Mamata but in reality, he was simply turning the confused Muslim vote bank to his side which has been in a puzzled state since Mamata started her Hindu-love campaign.
Mamata is expected to receive a double whammy for her indifferent approach to both the communities. Reported extensively by TFI, Didi is the same person who in the past has given more importance to a festival like Muharram, allowing the Muslims to carry the procession through the streets of Bengal whilst stopping the Durga visarjan festivities, saying it could cause communal tension.
If it was a one-off incident, one could have swept it under the rug but Mamata has time and again undermined the idol immolation festivities and given more importance to her minority counterparts. Who can forget her getting all antsy when chants of ‘Jai Shree Ram’ where voiced around her.
Recently, it was Mamata’s partymen Sheikh Alam who made controversial remarks about Muslims in the country coming together and creating 4 mini-Pakistan’s thereby leaving Hindus nowhere to go in the country. A secular leader like Mamata did not utter a single syllable to denounce her party leader and his statements.
“We are 30 per cent and they are 70 per cent. They will come to power with the support of 70 per cent, they should be ashamed. If our Muslim population moves to one side then we can create 4 new Pakistans. Where will 70 per cent of the population go?” Sheikh Alam had said.
Both Owaisi and Mamata are equally divisive politicians but at least the Hyderabad MP is not a seasonal Hindu/Muslim politician. Owaisi’s hate for Hindu’s was evident in his twitter rant when he said that those not having any gotra cannot be bought, subtly implying that those Hindus having a gotra are far less honourable than the Muslims.
"You can't buy people who have no Gotra."
Hindus – > Up for sale
Muslims – > honorable
——
More things change, more they remain the same! https://t.co/yX44aIuv7E— VatsRohit (@KesariDhwaj) April 2, 2021
It is a battle of choosing the less evil and for Muslims of the state, the choice lies between TMC or AIMIM, with BJP being a ‘non-existent’ option.
