Rs 11 lakh Reward on Mamata Banerjee’s Head: Rs 22-lakh Offered as Counter-price

KOLKATA:
A Muslim cleric, known for announcing fatwas against political leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and author Salman Rushdie, made a counter-offer of Rs 22 lakh for the BJP youth wing leader’s head who announced a reward of Rs 11 lakh for beheading West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Yogesh Varshney, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha in Aligarh, announced the price on Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s head following state police action against a saffron rally billed as a show of strength.
The threat came a day after police baton charged hundreds of saffron activists who took out massive rallies in the heart of Kolkata to mark Hanuman Jayanti, highlighting the growing muscle of right-wing forces in a state the BJP barely managed a toehold in the past.
The issue was raised in both Houses of Parliament by Trinamool Congress members and all major political parties, including the Congress, Left, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, and the government condemned the statement.
Party Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Shekhar Roy highlighted the matter on the floor of the in the Upper House, saying the BJP youth activist publicly described West Bengal CM as a “demon” and announced the bounty.
“There were attempts on her life in the 90s. Later, she was beaten up and dragged by her hairs during various movements during the Left Front regime. These people are m
isfits in politics and it seems they have opened a dictionary of bad words be it Dilip Ghosh (Bengal BJP president) or this BJP leader from Aligarh,” Partha Chatterjee, secretary general of Trinamool Congress, said.
“The BJP leader should be immediately arrested. Why is he roaming free after making such a statement?” added Chatterjee.