The ‘Jai Shree Ram’ debate in Bengal politics took a twist on Saturday when TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee said his party would chant ‘Jai Siya Ram’ and make BJP follow suit as well.

The saffron party has been hitting out at TMC for insulting Ram, especially after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee objected against ‘Jai Shree Ram’ slogan being raised at the 125th birth anniversary event of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Kolkata last month.

It was a government event, organised by the Ministry of Culture and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Victoria Memorial premises.

Since then BJP has built a strong campaign, trying to paint TMC as a political entity which dislikes Lord Ram. However, the TMC on Saturday tried to dent the Hindutva brigade’s effort.

At a rally in South 24 Parganas’ Kulpi, Abhishek said he would force the BJP leaders to switch over to ‘Jai Siya Ram’ from their usual ‘Jai Shree Ram’ slogan.

“BJP leaders say ‘Jai Shree Ram’. We say ‘Jai Siya Ram’. Meaning, Sita first and then Ram. A woman’s name should always come first. BJP leaders won’t do that because they don’t respect women,” Abhishek said.

“But I challenge that I’ll make them say ‘Jai Siya Ram’ after the election,” the Diamond Harbour MP added.

The young TMC MP’s provocations can be seen as an answer to Amit Shah, who himself had given ultimatum that BJP would make Mamata Banerjee chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’ after the West Bengal Assembly Election, due in March-April.

“Mamata didi is behaving as if saying ‘Jai Shree Ram’ is illegal. This is Hindustan. If not here, will we say ‘Jai Shree Ram’ in Pakistan. She is doing so to appease a particular community,” Shah said in Coochbehar earlier this week.

The BJP’s defacto second-in-command added, “Do people of other communities not vote? By the time election ends, Mamata didi will also start saying ‘Jai Shree Ram’.”

Meanwhile, Abhishek, who is the youth wing president of TMC, asserted the TMC will secure 250 plus seats while the saffron party will find it difficult to cross the double digit mark. He was countering the BJP”s claim of coming to power in the state by winning over 200 seats.