Gandhinagar, May 17 (IANS). Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday criticized the decades-long rule in West Bengal, alleging that common people have had to face corruption and political interference in their everyday economic activities for years.
At a public event in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the Union Home Minister compared the current situation in Bengal with Gujarat’s earlier development journey and said that the eastern state has suffered from lack of development for a long time.
The Union Home Minister during his speech said that if someone had made a film on Gujarat in 1964 and then made a film on today’s Bengal, Gujarat would have got more marks at that time. He alleged that there had been very little development related activities in Bengal for almost 50 years and claimed that political commission had become rampant even in ordinary transactions.
He said that even to buy tube light, fan, brick or cement, the ruling party had to pay commission. He also alleged that ‘unofficial recovery’ was also made from those who brought goods at lower prices from neighboring states.
He claimed that if someone brought a cheap fan from another state by train, people would stand at railway stations to collect the tax. Such situations have created discontent among the people and helped garner support for the BJP in West Bengal. He further said that people have supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP in search of better governance and development.
The Union Home Minister also linked the BJP’s growing influence in different parts of the country to the party’s grassroots organizational structure and reach to the people. He said that the role of booth-level workers was most important in the political success of BJP. He maintained direct contact with the people in villages and cities. Party workers worked tirelessly to solve local problems and maintain the trust of the people.
During his address, Union Minister Shah also talked about the performance of the BJP in the recently held local body elections in Gujarat. He said the party won in all the municipal corporations where elections were held. The party also won most of the municipalities, district panchayats and taluka panchayats.
He emphasized that the electoral success of the BJP is directly related to its governance record and the work done by the party workers during difficult times like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Along with political comments, Union Minister Shah also gave information about various civic projects going on in Gandhinagar. These projects include sewage treatment plants, water supply systems, internal roads, beautification of lakes, community buildings, urban health centres, yoga studios and sports infrastructure.
–IANS
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