Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday mentioned that her Gotra or sub-caste was Shandilya.
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s “gotra” or sub-caste fanned a dust-up between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP for the second day on Wednesday as Union Minister Giriraj Singh’s remark linking her to Rohingya Muslims amped up the shrillness of an exceptionally polarised election.
Taking part in one last card on Tuesday simply earlier than the curtains got here down on campaigning for the second part of the Bengal election that may embrace her potential seat of Nandigram, Ms Banerjee informed voters she belonged to the ‘Shandilya gotra‘ – one of many eight highest Brahmin ‘gotras‘.
At a rally within the constituency that which can see a high-stakes status battle between Ms Banerjee and her aide-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari – the Chief Minister led off by reminiscing about visits to temples, the place monks requested her for her ‘gotra‘ or lineage.
“Throughout my second marketing campaign, I visited a temple the place the priest enquired about my ‘gotra‘. I informed him ‘Maa Maati Manush‘ (the slogan that powered her to victory in 2011),” Ms Banerjee mentioned, earlier than including, “Really I’m ‘Shandilya’.”
Senior BJP chief and Union Minister Giriraj Singh, notorious for incendiary and communal speeches, retorted that the Chief Minister was asserting her gotra in desperation.
“I by no means must say it’s my gotra, I write it. However she says it out of concern of dropping the election. Mamata Banerjee, please inform me whether or not Rohingya and infiltrators are additionally of the Shandilya gotra? Her defeat is definite,” mentioned Mr Singh.
That remark was picked up by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday, who appeared to accuse the BJP chief of being from the “Chotiwala Rakshasa Clan (Ponytailed Demonic clan)”. Mr Singh, who makes use of the prefix “Shandilya” for his Twitter title, has a ponytail.
Union Minister Giriraj Says Mamata’s from ‘Rohingya Clan’
Pleased with it.
Much better than being from the Chotiwala Rakshasa Clan!
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) March 31, 2021
Ms Moitra’s remark angered a number of BJP leaders together with Mr Singh, who tweeted again in Hindi, “Shikha / Chutia (ponytail) has been an integral a part of the Sanatan civilization and tradition of India and it’s not truthful to abuse Sanatan for the sake of a vote. Preserve washing the Rohingya’s ft… Quickly Hindustan will ask for the reply.”
His get together colleague from West Bengal and a frequent adversary of Ms Moitra on Twitter, Locket Chatterjee, additionally joined the dialogue.
Pleased with being a Rohingya and calling Hindus Rakshas is a brand new low even by TMC’s in any other case low requirements! Disgrace on their appeasement politics… https://t.co/GdZagEoQFO
— Locket Chatterjee (@me_locket) March 31, 2021
Internet hosting a bitter face-off between Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool and the BJP, West Bengal has seen an unprecedented diploma of non secular polarisation forward of the eight-phase election that ends April 29. Votes might be counted on Might 2.
Ms Banerjee had raised the topic earlier this month when she got here to Nandigram to file her nomination, accusing her opponent Suvendu Adhikari of taking part in a “70:30 components” – of drawing in 70 per cent Hindu votes and 30 per cent Muslim ones.
Since then, the rhetoric has plunged to new lows with this week Mr Adhikari calling his former get together chief “Begum” and warning that Bengal will flip into “mini-Pakistan” if she returned to energy for a 3rd time.
