Mamata Banerjee loses cool over 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost her cool on Thursday when a group of men shouted "Jai Shri Ram" as her motorcade was passing through the troubled Bhatpara area of North 24 Parganas district.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo was on her way to Naihati to participate in a sit-in against violence on her party workers after the Lok Sabha poll results. In a video, which has gone viral on the social media, some men are seen shouting "Jai Shri Ram" as Banerjee's motorcade was passing through the Bhatpara area, a scene of violence between the BJP and the TMC since the declaration of the poll results.

The area is the stronghold of the newly-elected BJP MP Arjun Singh, who had defected to the saffron party from the TMC weeks before the Lok Sabha election. Singh defeated TMC's Dinesh Trivedi in the polls.

An infuriated Banerjee came out of her car and asked her security officials to note down the name of the men. "What do you think of yourself? You will come from other states, stay here and abuse us? I will not tolerate this. How dare you all abuse me? All of your names and details will be noted down," she was heard saying.

After the chief minister got into her car, the men chanted "Jai Shri Ram" again, prompting her to disembark from the vehicle once more. Later, addressing the protest programme at Naihati, Banerjee said some BJP workers came in front of her car and abused her verbally. "Is this democracy?," she asked.

The incident brought back memories of a similar one earlier this month near Chandrakona in West Midnapore district. A video had surfaced during the Lok Sabha poll campaign, showing Banerjee losing her temper as some men chanted "Jai Shri Ram" when her motorcade was passing through the area. In that video, which too had gone viral on the social media, Banerjee was seen angrily coming out of her car and saying that the men were mouthing abuses.

-PTI