Goa CM Pramod Sawant trains guns on Mamata Banerjee and TMC: Slams GFP for Goddess Durga comparison

PANAJI: Goa CM Pramod Sawant took an indirect dig at West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and her All India Trinamool Congress party (TMC), saying that people have seen how that person (Mamata Banerjee) and that party (TMC) “butchered people after the West Bengal polls”. Sawant was referring to the post-poll riots and violence that broke out in parts of West Bengal after the State Assembly polls, which claimed several lives, including those of women.

Sawant’s comments came after a row erupted in the coastal state, after a local political party leader drew a comparison between the State Goddess Shantadurga and compared the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee to ‘the Bengali Goddess Durga’, while speaking to reporters regarding a possible tie-up between his party and the TMC.

The Goa Forward Party (GFP) vice president Kiran Kandolkar on Saturday compared Banerjee to Goddess Durga, saying she would eliminate the “Bhasmasur BJP government” in the coastal state. He also said Goa has got Goddess Shantadurga – referring to a prominent temple dedicated to Goddess Shantadurga in the state, but added the State needs the Durga from Bengal to defeat the BJP.

Condemning Khandolkar for the comparison, Sawant said: “People of Goa will never tolerate such a comparison. You cannot compare Goddess Shantadurga with a human being…someone who committed great atrocities on women after the West Bengal election results.”

Sawant was also furious about his government and party being referred to as the “Bhasmasur BJP government”, but conveniently chose to camouflage that and criticized the comparison of a human being (Mamata Banerjee) to Goddess Durga.