Kolkata: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday outrightly rejected any deal between former Trinamool Congress legislator Humayun Kabir’s party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for ‘polarising’ Assembly elections in West Bengal, stating that the two are poles apart.
He took a swipe at the Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee, hinting that the ruling party was behind the viral audio clip of Humayun Kabir, in which the latter purportedly “assures” state BJP leaders of “unflinching support in dislodging the Trinamool from power”.
Amit Shah, when questioned about the ‘Kabir-BJP deal’ to create a religious divide in poll-bound Bengal, said, “You aren’t aware of Mamata’s capabilities; she can make 2,000 such videos.”
Ruling out any possibility of alliance with Kabir’s party, he said, “Humayun Kabir and the BJP are two poles apart — North Pole and South Pole. We would rather sit in opposition for another 20 years, rather than aligning with a party that calls for building the Babri masjid in Bengal.”
The controversy over the Rs 1,000 crore deal broke out after Trinamool leaders held a press conference on Thursday, in which they labelled Humayun Kabir as the ‘B-team’ of the BJP and claimed that the party had entered into a clandestine agreement to create and foment religious divide in the upcoming elections.
In the press conference held by West Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim and Aroop Biswas on Thursday, an audio clip purportedly of Humayun Kabir was released, in which they claimed that Kabir and his newly floated Aam Aadmi Unnayan Party (AAUP) were “assuring the BJP of support in elections”.
In the unverified audio clip, Kabir was reportedly heard assuring an unidentified person that if the BJP could ensure attracting the majority of the Hindu votes this time, he would be instrumental in ensuring the division of the Muslim voters, and he would do that to throw the Trinamool Congress out of power in the state.
In the purported audio clip, Kabir was also heard claiming to be in regular touch with the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and assuring that he and his party will give cent per cent support to the new BJP chief minister.
The alleged leaked tape created a flutter in political circles, with the ruling Trinamool accusing the BJP of attempting to influence the elections with money power.
Following this, Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM snapped ties with the fledgling party and on Friday announced its decision to withdraw from the alliance with Humayun Kabir and his new political outfit.
(IANS)
