Shah to unveil BJP ‘charge sheet’ against TMC today

Kolkata: Union home minister Amit Shah will on Saturday unveil a compilation of BJP's allegations against the Trinamool govt in Bengal ahead of assembly elections in the state.

The document, titled ‘Abhiyognama' or ‘charge sheet', will compile alleged instances of corruption and misgovernance during the 15-year tenure of CM Mamata Banerjee, a senior BJP functionary said. This will precede the release of the party manifesto.


Shah, scheduled to arrive in Kolkata late on Friday, will release the ‘charge sheet' at a hotel in New Town on Saturday afternoon.

The alleged "failures" of the TMC govt across 14 sectors, and allegations related to corruption in administration, collapse of law and order, safety concerns for women, prevalence of syndicate raj and crises in health and education are expected to figure prominently in the ‘charge sheet', the BJP neta said.

The saffron party plans to use the ‘charge sheet' to underscore TMC's alleged shortcomings and subsequently present alternatives in its election manifesto or ‘Sankalp Patra', which is likely to be released in the first week of April.

Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said: "Mamata Banerjee assumed office with a lot of hope. Now, she will have to answer what the govt has done for women, youth, industry and jobs. Trinamool might be afraid of the word charge sheet."

Speaking to reporters after footballer Arindam Bhattacharya joined BJP, he added: "The CM said LPG will be spent to feed the large troop of forces that has come to this state. What if the states refuse to provide LPG cylinders to migrant workers or employees who work in other states? The central government will solve the LPG issue."

Shah has made multiple visits to Bengal over the past two months, participating in organisational meetings, public rallies and outreach programmes, including the ‘Poribortan Yatra', to strengthen BJP's grassroots network and fine-tune the poll strategy.

BJP is likely to retain all the dole schemes being run by the Bengal govt. "We are expecting an increase in allocation in the welfare schemes aimed at women, the elderly and youth," said a Bengal BJP neta. The party has already announced a special package of Rs 5,700 crore for women.

The manifesto will also contain BJP's "commitment" to rapid industrialisation in the state and investments in heavy industries. The govt will need to acquire land for industry, farmers will get three times the market price and the solatium amount will be doubled. Apart from that, farmers will get a share in the project, sources said.