Mamata Banerjee should think whether she is really a Hindu as Hinduism does not promote violence: BJP MP

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Raju Bista on Wednesday slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's remark that she belongs to a Brahmin family and said she should think whether she is really a Hindu as Hinduism does not promote violence.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mamata had said at a rally in Goa, "I chant Chadipath every day. I also belong to a Brahmin family. I am a Brahmin. But my identity is I am a human being. I do not need to take a character certificate from BJP. India is a secular country. You cannot isolate minorities."

Speaking to ANI, Bista said, "Mamata Banerjee should think whether she is a Hindu. We have seen two leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee on TV claiming to be Hindus. But we have not heard Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that he is a Hindu because people become Hindu by their deeds. We are Hindu by deeds as well as by birth. Hinduism never propagates violence."

Talking about the post-poll violence in West Bengal, the BJP MP said that Hinduism does not promote such acts.

"Hindu never propagates such acts. Hinduism is nationalism," he said.

Regarding Banerjee's criticism of the Centre's decision to increase the jurisdiction of the BSF in some states, he said, "A Hindu never condemns the country's army and BSF. I feel there is a need to be a Hindu by deeds. The kind of violence that is happening to the Hindu population is happening because of Mamata's rule. She should think whether she really is a Hindu."

TMC and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) formed an alliance for the forthcoming Goa Assembly polls.

The TMC aggressively started campaigning for the upcoming polls after former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro joined the party. Faleiro joined TMC in the presence of Abhishek Banerjee after resigning from the Congress party.

Goa is scheduled to go for the Assembly polls in early 2022.

Goa Assembly has a strength of 40 members out of which BJP currently has 17 legislators and enjoys the support of legislators from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Vijay Sardesai of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and three independents. GFP and MGP each have three MLAs.

Congress, on the other hand, has 15 MLAs in the house.

(ANI)