BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayavargiya on Wednesday asserted that the invitation of kin of deceased West Bengal party workers for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony should not be politicised.
The remark comes after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reversed her earlier decision to announce that she will not attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.
"It is a subject of Prime Minister's swearing-in ceremony. Workers are coming to attend the ceremony. Bengal unit has also invited the families of the workers who have been killed. I feel, there is no need to politicise this issue," he said, while adding that the TMC chief's decision suggested that she may be riddled with guilt (chor ki daadi mein tinka).
Going back on her initial decision, Mamata announced earlier today that she will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of Modi.
"The ceremony is an August occasion to celebrate democracy, not one that should be devalued by any political party which uses it as an opportunity to score political points. Please excuse me, "So I am sorry Narendra Modiji. This has compelled me not to attend the ceremony," she tweeted.
"It was my plan to accept the 'Constitutional Invitation' and attend the oath-taking ceremony. However in past one hour, I am seeing media reports that the BJP is claiming 54 people have been killed in political violence in Bengal...This is untrue. I am compelled not to attend the ceremony."
The TMC Chief said that the lives lost in Bengal were due to "personal enmity, family quarrels, and other disputes; not relating to politics".
In an election that was marred by violence, the BJP made deep inroads into the Trinamool Congress territory in West Bengal by winning 18 seats in Lok Sabha and cutting the TMC to size by limiting its win in only 22 seats against 34 it had in the previous Lok Sabha.
( With inputs from ANI )