Howrah (West Bengal) [India], March 2 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday raised the slogan of 'Ek Desh, Ek Vidhan, Ek Nishan' and encouraged the people in West Bengal to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the forthcoming assembly elections.
Addressing the gathering at the 'Parivartan Yatra' here, the Defence Minister said that West Bengal was ready for 'parivartan', which he emphasised will be brought by his party. He said that the rally signifies West Bengal's "war cry" for change.
Singh said that West Bengal was a land of the brave and revolutionary, highlighting the contributions by Bengali changemakers, including Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.
"The soil of Bengal contains sacrifice and self-respect. I see your enthusiasm, and I can say that 'parivartan' be announced from the land of Bengal. I would like to say that the time for change has come. Ab chookna matt. I don't consider this a rally, I consider this a war cry for the change in Bengal," the Defence Minister said.
"This is the land of the brave. This is the land of revolutionaries. This is the land of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. He had said, 'Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom.' The land of Bengal is not ordinary. Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee was born here. He had said that '2 vidhan', '2 nishan' and '2 pradhan' will not work in this country. The slogan he raised at that time was not just a slogan but a pledge. The pledge was fulfilled by the central govt under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. Now, '2 vidhan', '2 nishan' and '2 pradhan' will never happen in this country. There will be 'Ek Desh, Ek Vidhan, Ek Nishan'," he added.
Shyama Prasad Mukherjee had said this once in the context of Jammu and Kashmir that there cannot be a duality of having two constitutions (Vidhan), two heads at the top (Pradhan) and two flags (Nishaan).
Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a dig at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying that the word 'Parivartan' signifies the desire to make West Bengal "infiltration and corruption-free" and to replace the Trinamool Congress government with a BJP government.
He said the Parivartan Yatra has been initiated to bring about change in the state, asserting that 'Parivartan' was not merely about changing the Chief Minister.
"The Parivartan Yatras have been initiated to bring about change in West Bengal. Yesterday, Mamata didi said that this is a Yatra to gain power. Mamata didi, by the word 'Parivartan' (change), we do not mean to change the Chief Minister. The people of Bengal will change it (chief minister). But the meaning of 'Parivartan' is to make Bengal free from infiltration. It is meant to make Bengal corruption-free. 'Parivartan' means to throw away the corrupt TMC government and make the BJP government," Shah said while addressing a gathering in Mathurapur.
The Union Home Minister added that nine Yatras are being launched across West Bengal, four of which started the previous day, and that the journey had commenced from Siliguri, Nabadwip, Medinipur, and Purulia.
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