CM Mamata levels grave 'money' charge against Owaisi & AIMIM as party announces WB entry

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday slammed the BJP, accusing the party of trying to bring Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM in Bengal to divide the Hindu-Muslim votes among themselves. In doing so, Banerjee alleged that the BJP is 'giving them money' taking the standard 'B-team' charge a notch higher.

After putting up a good show in the Bihar assembly elections, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) has announced it will contest in next year's Bengal polls. In the recently concluded Bihar polls, the AIMIM won five seats in the Muslims dominated Seemanchal region on the border of West Bengal.

'AIMIM is a B-team of the BJP': Mamata Banerjee

"To divide the Muslim votes, the BJP is spending crores of rupees to bring in a party from Hyderabad. The plan is that BJP will eat into Hindu votes, and this Hyderabad party will eat into Muslim votes. In recent Bihar elections, they did the same thing. This party is a B-team of the BJP," Banerjee said while addressing a rally in Jalpaiguri.

A deciding factor in nearly 100-110 seats in the state, the 30% Muslim population, till 2019, have acted as a bulwark of the TMC against its rivals, with most of them voting in favour of the party, considering it to be a "credible" force that can resist the saffron surge, according to a PTI report. A section of the TMC leadership is apprehensive that with the entry of AIMIM, equations are likely to alter.

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Centre interfering in WB's jurisdiction: Mamata

Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee also accused the Centre of interfering in West Bengal's jurisdiction by summoning IPS officers to serve under it and challenged the Union Government to impose President's Rule in the state. Reaching out to the politically crucial refugee population in the state, she said they need not be afraid of the implementation of National Register of Citizens, National Population Register or the Citizen Amendment Act as all the refugee colonies have been recognised by the West Bengal government.

"If BJP and the Centre think they can scare us by bringing in central forces and transferring state cadre officers, they are wrong. The Centre is summoning our officers. Just think of it !", she said. "I dare the Centre to impose President's Rule in Bengal," she added. Elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly are due in April-May next year.

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(With agency inputs)