KOLKATA: Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday responded to CM Mamata Banerjee’s threat to drag him to court for his “ulta latka denge (will hang upside down)” comments at public rallies, saying that a BJP victory in Bengal will put an end to the “fear of goons” after May 4.After the poll “success”, Shah added that he would treat PM Narendra Modi to Burdwan’s famed Sitabhog (a sweet speciality).“Didi gets angry when I threaten goons. Should I embrace them?” Shah said at his two rallies at Jamalpur in East Burdwan and Shyampur in Howrah, asking the CM “to put a leash on her goons”.“Didi accused me of reprimanding her goons. Should I show love to them? I am asking Didi to lock her goons in the garage. We will not spare anyone if they touch our mothers,” he said, pointing out that no musclemen were seen on the streets during the first phase of polls. “I am warning them again to stay indoors on April 29,” he added.Shah said “in every election, hooligans backed by the Trinamool disturb the polls through violence”. “So, at every rally, I caution these hooligans of dire consequences. I am now just issuing a note of caution. If the hooligans don’t mend their ways, their place will be behind bars,” he said.Shah’s words came after Banerjee, addressing a rally in Hooghly, said: “We are going to file a legal case against Amit Shah for his violent remarks. As the Union home minister, he cannot make such comments.”The CM targeted Shah’s comments as a warning directed at TMC workers, asserting that BJP’s “forceful approach” would fail to resonate with Bengal’s voters. “To say you will hang people upside down post-election is unacceptable. With this mindset, you will never win Bengal,” she said.Shah reiterated the issue of women’s safety and said no CM in BJP-governed states had ever issued a restriction on women’s movement. “BJP has CMs in 20 states. None has said that women should not step out of their homes after 7 pm. In Bengal, a girl can ride a scooter even at midnight after May 5, and not a single goon will dare look her in the eye,” he said.Shah harped on Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir’s plans to set up a Babri masjid. “Mamata didi wants her aide Kabir to build a Babri masjid. There is no place for that in Bengal. If voted to office, we will build a Durga temple in the state,” Shah said, reiterating that once the Uniform Civil Code is in place in Bengal, there will be an end to polygamy.
