Mamata charges BJP with using Lord Ram's name to win polls
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday accused the BJP of playing the religion card and using Lord Ram's name to win elections, though it failed to build the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.
Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said she never used religion to win polls but respects all irrespective of their faith or caste.
"You (the BJP) use religion for elections. You contest elections using the name of (Lord) Ram but could not build one Ram Mandir in five years," she said while addressing a programme organised by the Marwari community here.
"We do not use religion to win elections. We are with everybody - Ram or Rahim, Sikh or Christian," Banerjee said.
Referring to the Income Tax notices sent to about 40 big-budget Durga Puja committees in the city, she said no community was obstructed in holding religions celebrations in West Bengal.
The chief minister claimed that people from other states like UP or Bihar feel "safer" in West Bengal compared to their ...