BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Saturday said that the prestige of West Bengal has dipped due to the violence by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers during the Lok Sabha polls.
Speaking at BJP's membership drive event here, Vijayvargiya said, "I got a call from California from an association of Bengalis and they said they do not want to invite Chief Minister of West Bengal this time because due to her and her party members, Bengal's prestige is hurt. The violence that took place during the polls has done damage to the prestige of the state."
"When 'Mahagathbandhan' took place in UP, then all political pundits had said the BJP will not get even 20 seats, but Amit Shah had said that we will get 51 per cent votes in every seat. And I am proud to say that out of 300 we won 220 seats by 50 per cent votes," he said.
Vijayvargiya mocked the West Bengal Chief Minister and other TMC leaders saying, "Mamata used to say that the BJP will get 'rushogula' that is zero. Derrek O Brain said the same and after the polls, he was not seen. He even did not comment about results in a tweet."
He said, "BJP workers work culture has given a befitting reply to the arrogance of the leaders in West Bengal. Here leaders have always been arrogant. They behaved badly with Central agencies like the CBI. The people have followed the slogan given by Prime Minister Modi of 'Chup Chap Kamal Chaap'."
"Our membership drive is responsible for our victory but in West Bengal, we have not won by 50 per cent votes. We have to do that through our membership drive," he said.
Praising the ideology of the saffron party, Vijayvargiya said, "BJP stands for uniting and associating every section of society. To continue this, the BJP worker should be present at every polling booth. PM Modi talks of 'Sab Ka Saath Sabka Vikas', Modernisation of Madrassas and increase in Haj pilgrimage. The age-old inhuman practice of triple talaq was abolished during BJP's tenure."
"Bengal is a place of birth of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. He was the first president of Bharatiya Jan Sangh. We were the ones who protested against the imposition of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee led that protest. We belong to that legacy of sacrifice," he added.
Praising Prime Minister Modi, Vijayvargiya said, "We should be proud that we have a leader like Narendra Modi who is popular all over the globe. After Modi became the Prime Minister, some overseas Indians experienced a rise of honour and prestige they get in that country."
"The people of West Bengal see BJP as a hope to change their lives. We are a nationalist party that believes in Nation first and everything else after. If the BJP becomes stronger then the country will get stronger and the same is for West Bengal. It is a matter of pride to be associated with BJP. The Army protects the country from outside and the BJP workers have to protect the country from inside," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )