Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Women will be able to ride their scooters safely at midnight after May 5 if the BJP forms the government in West Bengal, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday, making women’s safety a central plank of the party’s campaign, while attacking the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) over law and order in the state.
In an exclusive interview with India Today’s sister channel, Aaj Tak, at Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district, Shah said the BJP would create an environment in which women could move freely without fear, regardless of the hour.
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“I want to assure the mothers and sisters of Bengal that if you bring the BJP to power, after May 5, even a young woman will be able to ride a scooter safely at midnight,” he told Aaj Tak’s Managing Editor Anjana Om Kashyap, referring to the period after the election results will be declared.
Shah’s remarks came a day before 152 Assembly seats will witness polling in the first phase of West Bengal Assembly polls on Thursday. The remaining 142 constituencies will vote in the second phase on April 29.
Targeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Shah alleged that women in West Bengal currently feel unsafe and criticised her past advising women not to step out after evening hours. “If a woman chief minister says women should not go out after 7 pm, what kind of governance is that?” he asked.
Shah said women’s safety had emerged as a major issue for the BJP in the West Bengal elections, claiming that incidents of harassment and assault take place openly in the state. He argued that BJP-ruled states had demonstrated stronger law and order mechanisms and said Bengal deserved a similar system.
The Home Minister said the party’s rise in Bengal – from winning just two seats earlier to 77 in the Assembly – showed significant momentum. “We have gone from two seats to 77. This is not a small leap. We will form a BJP government with a full majority,” he said.
Shah also claimed that voters would turn out spontaneously this election and warned that any attempt at intimidation by TMC workers would be met by public resistance. “I am not being aggressive. The people are aggressive,” he said, alleging that people were prepared to confront what he described as political strong-arm tactics on polling day.
On the defeated Constitutional Amendment Bill to push for women’s reservation, Shah accused the TMC of opposing a measure that could have expanded political representation for women. He said Banerjee should have supported the legislation rather than resist it.
He also responded to the controversy over Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “terrorist”, saying the latter spent his life fighting terrorism. “The remarks reflect the influence of Rahul Gandhi,” he said.
West Bengal, which has 294 Assembly constituencies, is expected to witness a direct contest between the TMC and BJP. The TMC, facing anti-incumbency for 15 years, is eyeing a fourth consecutive term. The BJP, on the other hand, is going all out to dethrone the TMC and form its own government in the state.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
