In Bengal, Amit Shah's 'Na Janata, Na Mamata' Jab At Congress

BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was on a campaign trail in West Bengal on Friday, took potshots at the Congress in an exclusive interview with NDTV, saying neither janata (people) nor Mamata (West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee) pay any attention to the Mallikarjun Kharge-led party.

"The Congress's situation is such that it is neither getting bhav (attention) from the janata (people) nor from Mamata," Shah told NDTV when asked about the Congress's attacks on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Congress and Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress -- who had been political partners under the opposition's I.N.D.I.A initiative ahead of the 2024 general elections -- are contesting the West Bengal assembly elections separately.

"There is going to be a change in West Bengal," Shah said, exuding confidence in his party's ability to win the polls in the state, which has been a bastion of the Trinamool Congress since 2011.

Shah brushed aside apprehensions of security challenges in Bengal ahead of the assembly polls. "The manner in which the Election Commission has made security arrangements, I don't think any goon can steal votes," he said.

Reacting to the oft-repeated Trinamool charge that the Election Commission favours the BJP, Shah said the allegation is a ploy by Banerjee to garner what he called sympathy votes.

"Elections are taking place in five states. There were no allegations. Mamata ji has a habit of attempting to gain sympathy votes. But this time, the people of Bengal have decided to say 'tata, bye-bye' to Mamata Banerjee," he said.

In a recent flashpoint between the Trinamool and the nodal poll body, Trinamool politician Derek O'Brien claimed his party's delegation was asked to "get lost" by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar when it raised poll-linked concerns during a scheduled meeting.

Sources in the Election Commission later told NDTV that O'Brien shouted at the Chief Election Commissioner and asked him not to speak.

Asked about detractors' charge that suspended Trinamool MLA Humanyun Kabir -- who made headlines with his alleged remark in a 'sting operation' that he had struck a deal worth Rs 1,000 crore to defeat Trinamool -- was part of the BJP's B-team, Shah said his party would never be associated with someone who wanted to build a 'Babri Masjid' in West Bengal.

"The BJP will never side with a person who wants to make Babri Masjid in Bengal. We would rather be the opposition," he said.

Kabir shot to the limelight last year over his efforts to build a mosque in Bengal.

How many seats will the BJP win? Shah predicted the party would score a comfortable victory in the state, easily surpassing the halfway mark

"We will win with a comfortable margin. I will be able to say anything concrete only after the first phase of the elections. However, we will easily surpass the halfway mark or even go further," he said.

Polling for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 4.

The TMC swept the 2021 elections with 213 seats, while the BJP won just 77.