Attempts on to divide minority votes by floating community leaders: Mamata

Kolkata : Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that some definite attempts are being made by some forces to divide the minority votes by floating some leaders from the community who are acting as their “agents”.

She was speaking at the end of the 'Harmony Rally' that started from the Hazra Crossing and concluded at the Park Circus Seven-Point Crossing.

Although she did not name anyone, political observers feel that her clear indication was towards All India Secular Front's (AISF) lone representative in the West Bengal Assembly, Naushad Siddique.

Since the day Siddqiue expressed his desire to contest from the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency in South 24 Parganas district, the Trinamool leadership has been constantly describing him as a “clandestine beneficiary of the BJP". Speaking on the occasion, she also indirectly ridiculed the BJP for being anti-woman, saying, “You always speak of Lord Ram, never about Sita Devi." She also said that one can never imagine Lord Ram without Sita Devi.

“She accompanied Lord Ram when she went to the forests for 14 years and after that she had to go through Agni Pariksha. In West Bengal, we worship Devi Durga as the woman-power, whom also Lord Ram worshipped before facing the battle with Ravana,” the Chief Minister said.

She also ridiculed the publicity for the Pran Pratishtha event throughout the country on Monday. “What has been happening since morning, it seems that publicity for yet another freedom movement has started. But what will happen tomorrow? My only plea is that religion should not be observed on the sacrifice of poor people,” Banerjee said.

She also lamented that people have forgotten the role played by her after the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. “I had hit the street alone then. I personally approached then Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and offered all sorts of cooperation. Without fearing for my life, I reached several places with relief material. But sadly, many people have forgotten all these,” she said.

She started her rally after offering Puja at the famed Kali Temple in Kalighat near her residence. Thereafter, she went to a gurdwara, a church and finally a mosque before reaching the end point of the rally where she addressed a gathering.