Mamata Banerjee: Saffron-donning BJP men fakes; their saffron is for spreading lies

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday, November 5, said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members donning saffron are all "fakes" as the colour stands for sacrifice.

"The BJP people who are donning saffron eat, make merry, do whatever they wish to and give lectures. These BJP people who wear saffron are all fakes," Banerjee said while inaugurating a Skywalk connecting the Dakshineswar Railway Station to the famed Dakshineswar Kali temple.

Banerjee said unlike the BJP people, saints of the Ramakrishna Mission and the ascetics who reside in the hills and meditate are genuine.

"These people have no greed whereas the fake ones want to be ministers, MLAs, enjoy and also wear saffron," Banerjee said.

Talking about the BJP playing the Hinduism card, she said: "They don't even know the rules and practices of Hindu religion. One can't be a saint by just wearing saffron, one has to be like them from within. Saffron signifies sacrifice and one leaves everything behind with utmost dedication."

"Their saffron is for political purpose and spreading lies," she said while inaugurating the Dakshineswar Rani Rashmoni Skywalk.

Mentioning the difficulties coming in the way of construction of the Skywalk, Banerjee said: "Three political parties...tried to stop the construction of this skywalk. The matter was even dragged to the high court. They tried to mislead the hawkers but I had given a thought about their rehabilitation. I would thank the judges and lawyers for making it possible."

The 340-metre-long and 10.5-metre-wide pathway connects the Dakshineswar station to the main gate of the historic Kali temple located there.

Banerjee pointed out that many people had opposed her move of making Firhad Hakim (Urban Development Minister) the Chairman of a committee formed for the development of religious sites.

"Why can't he do development-related works being a Muslim? Is there any need to see the religion or whether the person is a man or a woman for these works?" she asked.

Questioning the depth of the political outfits talking about Hinduism, she asked, "These people think only they can practise Hinduism. All of a sudden they are trying to preach their own way of Hindu religion. Were they born when the Vedas were written"?

Banerjee mentioned that she will develop other places of religious attraction like Tarapith, Kalighat, Tarakeshwar and so on.

With 14 escalators, four lifts and a staircase, the ₹60-crore project is aimed to ease the journey of the devotees.