'Stand up to bigoted bulldozing or..': Mahua Moitra on Mamata-Jai Shri Ram row
'In an official event, you can't have religion chants as long as this is a secular democracy,' the MP said.
A debate was triggered off on Saturday after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee left the stage at the Centre's event on Netaji anniversary in a huff, following chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' just before she was about to speak. Terming Mamata's reaction 'allergic', BJP leader and Netaji's grand-nephew Chandra Kumar Bose said CM need not have reacted adversely to the slogan. "This is not the day to do any politics. It is a day to celebrate. Netaji had people from all communities in Azad Hind Fauj. Whether you say 'Jai Hind' or 'Jai Shri Ram'. I don't find any difference," Bose told ANI.
Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra trained her gun on the BJP for what happened at Saturday's event in Victoria memorial. "This government has completely violated all sanctity of a multi-faith democracy. In an official event, you can't have religion chants as long as this is a secular democracy. And it is only lumpen, uneducated people like in the BJP that can defend this kind of nonsense," she told ANI.
Taking to Twiter, Moitra also urged people to "either stand up to this bigoted bulldozing where religion is equal to the government or India perishes". She also claimed that Netaji's daughter Anita Bose has said that her father would not have approved of Hindus being intolerant to other religions.
Another MP Derek O'Brien criticised the "heckling" of Mamata Banerjee at the event and said dignity can't be taught to "lumpens".
BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya said Mamata's action showed her frustration. "I fail to understand what is the problem in chanting Jai Shri Ram and why Mamata Ji gets annoyed with it. I think the slogan was raised in her honour when she stood up. Leaving the dais because of the slogan shows nothing but her frustration," he said.
Political tempers are rising in West Bengal ahead of the assembly elections slated to be held in May this year. With several heavyweight leaders, ministers leaving the Trinamool, cracks inside the party are wide open in public. Celebration of Netaji birth anniversary has also been a clashing point between the BJP and the Trinamool. Given this situation, PM Modi and Mamata Banerjee's joint appearance at the event was surprising, but Mamata refused to speak at the event as she said she felt "insulted".
