West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee finds herself amidst controversy ahead of the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections, following a video of a campaign speech where she purportedly discussed the eventual end of religious scriptures such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bible, and Quran.
The BJP has criticized her remarks, while Mamata Banerjee herself has dismissed the clip as “edited,” emphasizing that her statements were misrepresented. However, State Minister Firhad Hakim described it as a “slip of the tongue” in another video posted by BJP leader Amit Malviya on social media.
In the video shared by Amit Malviya, Mamata Banerjee is heard saying, “Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bible, and Quran will be gone someday. But my stories won’t be over.” Amit Malviya also alleged that a Muslim journalist who protested against this remark was detained by the Kolkata Police, further accusing Mamata Banerjee of using the Muslim community for votes.
Mamata Banerjee refuted these allegations on Monday, labelling them as “fake” and asserting that her words were taken out of context. She clarified that her intention was to highlight the extensive discussion required to cover the developmental work undertaken by her government, rather than suggesting the end of religious scriptures. She accused a regional news channel of editing her speech to twist its meaning.
However, the opposition raised questions about the conflicting narratives, pointing out that if Mamata Banerjee’s video was indeed edited, why was her minister Firhad Hakim describing it as a “slip of the tongue” in another video shared by the BJP leader?
The controversy surrounding Mamata Banerjee’s remarks underscores the sensitivities surrounding religious discourse in the political landscape, particularly in the context of election campaigns.
