Mamata Banerjee ko gussa kyun aata hai?
Well, in recent times, the trigger seems to be anybody chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
On her way to meet workers of the Trinamool Congress in Naihati who allegedly had to flee their homes because of the BJP, the Chief Minister of West Bengal’s car was met enroute by some people, allegedly in BJP bands, chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
The incident took place in West Bengal’s Bhatpara area in the North 24 Parganas district of the state.
In a video that has emerged from the scene, Banerjee can be seen bringing her convoy to a halt and charging out and then saying “chamra gutiye debo” in Bengali which roughly translates to “I will skin you alive”.
She then instructs the police personnel present in her convoy to note the name of the area, saying that each house in the area must be searched.
“You can chant slogans if you want to, but how dare you try to attack my car?” the chief minister is heard saying.
As her convoy begins to leave, chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ can be heard again.
Banerjee once again comes out of her car to confront the sloganeers.
“Come out if you dare,” she is heard saying in Bengal, before calling the sloganeers “criminals”.
Speaking to reporters at the spot right after the incident, the chief minister said:
“There must be some sort of propriety. Look at their audacity, wearing BJP bands and abusing me. We have kept them with utmost care. They are outsiders. They are not local people of Bengal.”
“We will take action,” she says before getting into her car again.
The chief minister was seen showing a similar reaction a few weeks ago, when locals chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ on her way to an election meeting in West Bengal’s Midnapore district.
Banerjee, on Friday, 31 May raked up another controversy when she asked her party leaders to recapture TMC offices allegedly occupied by the saffron party as early as possible.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)