Mumbai: Senior BJP chief and Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha on Saturday courted controversy after referring to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as a “terrorist”. Mr. Lodha made the comment whereas talking on the launch of a booklet titled Bangladeshi Infiltrator Birth Certificate Scam, authored by get together colleague and former MP Kirit Somaiya, on the BJP headquarters in south Mumbai. The booklet was launched by Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan.
Alleging large-scale irregularities, Mr. Lodha claimed that over 10 centres had been arrange in every district bordering Bangladesh in West Bengal to situation bogus beginning certificates to unlawful immigrants. He additionally alleged that such paperwork had been getting used to acquire Aadhaar playing cards and different id papers.
Addressing the gathering, the minister mentioned he had labored with Mr. Somaiya on the problem of unlawful immigration and located that migrants procured solid beginning certificates and Aadhaar playing cards in areas resembling Malwani in Mumbai’s Malad suburb. “There is one sample. Earlier, West Bengal was dominated by the Communists and now by terrorist Mamata Banerjee. Centres have been set as much as nurture vote banks. Old beginning certificates are given, colleges situation certificates for academic {qualifications}, after which these individuals are despatched to Mumbai, Assam and different locations,” he mentioned.
Mr. Lodha mentioned West Bengal was anticipated to go to the Assembly polls inside a 12 months and urged Mr. Somaiya to go to the State and “information” on the problem of unlawful immigration.
Referring to the Assam agitation in opposition to unlawful immigrants launched almost 35 years in the past, Mr. Lodha mentioned the motion lasted 12 years and resulted within the deaths of 1000’s of individuals. “Assam was saved,” he claimed.
“To save Mumbai and Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched a marketing campaign to make the State freed from Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants. More than 2,000 Rohingyas and Bangladeshis have been deported. But it isn’t solely Mr. Fadnavis’s duty. All of us should all work for this trigger,” Mr. Lodha mentioned.
Mr. Chavan, in his remarks, praised Mr. Somaiya’s “loyalty to the nation” and mentioned he had carried ahead the problems raised by Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. He claimed that Mr. Somaiya had dropped at the authorities proof suggesting that round 2.25 lakh Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in Maharashtra had obtained beginning certificates via unlawful means.
The remarks drew sharp criticism from the Congress. AICC secretary and Telangana co-in-charge Sachin Sawant slammed Mr. Lodha for calling an elected Chief Minister a “terrorist” and demanded particulars of these allegedly deported.
In a submit on X, Mr. Sawant mentioned, “The West Bengal chief minister, elected via democratic means and sworn in beneath the Constitution, has been branded a terrorist by businessman Lodha. Does the Maharashtra chief minister agree with this assertion? This should be clarified. The BJP has tasked this particular person with incessantly chanting the phrases “Rohingya – Bangladeshi” in view of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. As a end result, he’s now affected by psychological issues.”
Mr. Sawant additional demanded that the state authorities publicly disclose the names of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas allegedly deported from Mumbai and Maharashtra, particulars of inquiries initiated in opposition to them, and the variety of instances referred to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
