TMC warns BJP, red eyes or outsiders will not be tolerated in Bengal

Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress took issue withh its arch rival BJP over the latter's appointing five central leaders to evaluate organisational strengths and weaknesses of its district units in the state.

The BJP has put Sunil Deodhar, Dushyant Gautam, Vinod Tawde, Harish Dwivedi and Vinod Sonkar in charge of different organisational zones in both south and north Bengal ahead of the Assembly polls due in about five months from now.

West Bengal Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya on Thursday took a dig at the BJP central leaders saying that the new five-member team of outsiders will be fought back by people of the state.

She said that the people of Bengal would never tolerate the "red eyes of such people".

"We are seeing that these people do not have any knowledge about Bengal's heritage or culture and they are being sent here. They do not even know the districts or villages of the state. We actually have no problem if they want to visit the state for educating themselves since our state is a pilgrimage site for development in the country, but we do have a problem if they are day-dreaming," said Bhattacharya.

She said that Bengal always welcomes people from everywhere. "But if outsiders show red eyes to us, then the people of Bengal will not tolerate them."

(From IANS feed with minor edits)