CM Mamata GOTRA row: Owaisi asks ‘What should happen to people like me who aren’t Shandilya or Janeudhari?’

Bengal, March 31: As soon as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mentioned her ‘Gotra’ in Nandigram, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi Tweeted on Wednesday, “What should happen to people like me who aren’t Shandilya or Janeudhari, aren’t bhakts of certain gods, don’t recite Chalisa or any Path? Every party feels that it has to show its Hindu credentials to win. Unprincipled, insulting & unlikely to succeed.”

This comment by Owaisi comes after Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, “During my second campaign, I visited a temple where the priest asked me my ‘gotra’.

I told him ‘Maa Maati Manush’. This reminds me of my visit to Tripura’s Tripureshwari temple where the priest had asked me my ‘gotra’ and I had told him too ‘Maa Mati Manush’, actually I am Shandilya” Mamata said while addressing a public rally in Nandigram.

‘Shandilya’ is one of the eight highest Brahmin Gotras. According to Bhagvat Purana, Shandilya was a prominent rishi who was the progenitor of the ‘Shandilya’ gotra.

TMC MP Santanu Sen said “Secularism and Federalism are two important pillars of our Indian Constitution. And today, in India, if there is any secular leader, then she is Mamata Banerjee. And the person’s tweet you are talking about, we all know to help whom that person has entered the field of politics. This was proved after the Bihar Elections.


Also Read: Nandigram Campaign: Mamata Banerjee gets back on her feet for the national anthem

 

If in the Bihar Elections there would have been no gameplay, then till today, BJP’s allied government would not have had formed. In that case Laluji’s son, Tejashwi would have become the chief minister.

This is my request, that people who are playing these dirty and divisive politics, who is selling out this country and taking it away from development, do not help them. Do not help BJP, in the coming days we have to remove BJP if we need to save this country. Otherwise, a tea seller will completely sell this country with nothing left-back.”

Nandigram will witness the most high-profile contest in the second phase of the state assembly elections to be held on April 1 with the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee taking on her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in December last year.

Mamata is contesting from Nandigram this time and not contesting from her home turf Bhabanipur seat, making this election more interesting.

The Left Front has fielded Minakshi Mukherjee, the state president of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) from Nandigram against Mamata and Adhikari.

In phase-II, 30 Assembly constituencies from the districts of Bankura, South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur will go to polls to decide the fate of 171 candidates including 19 women.

The first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded with an estimated 79.79 per cent voter turnout on Saturday.


Also Read: Bengal Election 2021: 25% of candidates in Phase 2 of WB polls have criminal records, 15% crorepati

 

The polling for 31 seats in the third phase of the 294-member state assembly will be held on April 6.

The elections for 44 seats will be held in the fourth phase on April 10. Further, in the fifth phase on April 17, 45 seats will go to the polls.

The sixth phase is scheduled for April 22 when elections for 43 seats will be done. In the seventh phase on April 26, polling will be held for 36 seats.

Finally, the eighth phase is scheduled for April 29 when 35 seats will go for polling.

The counting of votes will take place on May 2.