KOLKATTA – Indian West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congresssupremo Mamta Bannerjee on Thursday called the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)a “militant organisation,” engaged in dividing people along religious linesand dared it to attack her party.

Banerjee, a known critic of the saffron party, also alleged that the BJPwas manipulating EVMs to increase its vote share in the state and urged herparty workers to prepare for the next Lok Sabha poll as the entire countrywas looking forward to it.

“We are not a militant organisation like the BJP. They are arrogant andintolerant. They are religiously biased. They don’t like Muslims,Christians, Sikhs – they are even differentiating between the upper casteand the lower caste Hindus,” she said at the extended core committeemeeting of TMC.

Lashing out at the BJP, she said, “They are threatening to carry outencounters. Just because they are in power in Delhi, they are talking abouthurling bombs. I dare them to come and touch us. We will show them theirplace.”

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh had said on Tuesday that the partywould not tolerate if its workers were attacked by the Trinamool Congressand threatened to retaliate.

Banerjee accused the BJP, the Congress, the CPI(M) and the Maoists ofjoining hands against the TMC in Bengal and alleged that the saffron partyis manipulating EVMs to increase its vote share in the state.