Mamata urges people not to join BJP at any cost

Cooch Behar (West Bengal), April 25 (IANS) Terming the BJP as a party that endorses the ideology of polarisation and riots, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee on Tuesday urged people not to join the party at any cost.

"I will urge everyone, whatever you do, do not join BJP. This political party creates polarisation among people, fuels violence and riot, and makes people fight with each other," Banerjee said at a public meeting in West Bengal's Cooch Behar.

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of defaming the Hindu religion, the Trinamool Congress supremo said the people of Bengal, who believe in the ideals of Swami Vivekananda and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, would not accept the brand of Hinduism promoted by the party.

"They are not Hindus. They defame the Hindu religion in the name of practising Hinduism. We believe in the Hinduism of Ramakrishna Dev and Vivekananda that talks about religious tolerance and not in BJP's brand of Hinduism that teaches people to polarise and riot among each other," she said.

Banerjee also appealed to the Scheduled Castes and the non-Bengali locals present at the meeting not to be inclined to the saffron party, saying whoever joined them has repented the decision later.

"I would request our Scheduled Caste brothers and sisters and the Hindi -peaking people present here to let me know what they require. I will do whatever I can. But remember BJP is a party that endorses riots. Do not go with them. Whoever joined them, repented later on," she added.