Roopa Ganguly, Mohammad Salim slam Mamata government at India Today Conclave East 2018

Speaking at the session on 'The Bengal Tiger and 2019: Will it roar?', BJP MP Roopa Ganguly and TMC MP Mohammad Salim attacked the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal.

Most of the session was focussed on the Mamata Banerjee government, with Salim and Ganguly differing on only one aspect -- that of whether the BJP was responsible for polarising West Bengal on religious lines.

Mohammed Salim felt that the BJP indeed was to blame for politicising religion while Roopa Ganguly, expectedly, said it did not.

Mohammed Salim agreed that politicisation of religion had happened under Mamata but added that PM Narendra Modi too was to blame. "Politicisation of religion happened after Modi and Mamata came to power," he said.

"Bengal has always seen religious processions. But the polarisation has started under Mamata Banerjee's rule. She is responsible for law and order problems in the state," Roopa Ganguly said.

Ganguly also slammed Mamata for using the politics of fear to destroy local leaders in West Bengal. "Any party in any state getting destroyed. Is that good? What is Mamata doing? She has destroyed the CPI (M) and the Congress in the state," Ganguly said.

Criticising the Trinamool Congress government of Mamata Banerjee, Roopa Ganguly said there was not a single day when people were not scared of walking under the bridge. She charged that education has systematically been finished and people are forced to remain under poverty.

Ganguly stressed the need for representation of different parties for democracy to function properly. "I would say that every political party must remain in some form in a state or the Centre for the sake of democracy. But Mamata is hell-bent on destroying that," she said.

"Mamata Banerjee has cheated all of us; she has cheated West Bengal," Ganguly said.

Mohammed Salim blamed the BJP's ideological parent RSS for the current scenario.

He said the Left has no problems with the religious festivals. However, politicisation of religious festivals is bad. "The Britishers funded the communal elements at the end of the 19th century. As long as religion is inside the homes, it is fine," he said.

Responding to the allegations of BJP's attempts to polarise society in West Bengal, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly said, "People never have problem when Muharam processions are carried out with swords and weapons. Why is that okay while similar processions during Ram Navmi are criticised?"

Taking a dig at the West Bengal government, she said the real issue is of law and order. "Muharram and Ram Navmi have been celebrated in Bengal for years. But Mamata Banerjee has started politicising it because these processions are attended by many people," she said.

Roopa Ganguly also sang Rabindra Sangeet for the audience.

Slamming Mamata, Mohammad Salim, the CPI (M) MP from Raiganj, also alleged that she is an invention of the right-wing organisation Rashtra Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He said, "Mamata could not have been Mamata of today if the RSS wasn't there. It is on record -- Mamata says that RSS is the greatest patriot."

In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election, West Bengal is becoming one of the fiercest grounds for electoral politics with both BJP and CPM looking to snatch power from TMC