Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that the former chants “Jai Shri Ram” but has not built even one Ram temple in his tenure.

Banerjee’s remark came after PM Modi accused the West Bengal Chief Minister of arresting people for chanting “Jai Shri Ram” and also dared her to arrest him.

“You, BJP babu, you say ‘Jai Shri Ram’ but have you built even one Ram temple in your tenure? At the time of elections, Ram Chandra becomes your party agent. You chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and also force others to say it,” she said at a rally in Bishnupur on Monday.

Last week, a video circulated on Whatsapp, showed Banerjee stepping out of her vehicle and lashing out at a group of people for chanting "Jai Shri Ram", a chant frequently used by the leaders and workers of the BJP. Four persons were subsequently arrested from the area.

Referring to this incident during his rally in West Bengal’s Tamluk, PM Modi had said, "I want to say to the people of entire West Bengal, 'Jai Shri Ram'. I want to say it, especially to Mamata Didi. Didi has started putting people in jail for chanting 'Jai Shri Ram'. So, I thought that I should also say 'Jai Shri Ram' to her directly. Maybe she would put me in jail as well.”

"If she puts me in jail, I will at least be able to serve the innocent people whom she has imprisoned. Is it a crime to hail Lord Ram in West Bengal? In front of Ram, the pride of many people has been shattered. How long will you (Banerjee) hold on to your prejudice?" he asked.

The Prime Minister had also hit out at Banerjee for claiming that BJP had made Lord Ram its "polling agent" in the Lok Sabha elections and said that Ram was a part of the people's lives.

"She (Banerjee) says the BJP has made Ram a polling agent. I want to tell her clearly that Ram is in our veins, in our culture. Ram is our inspiration," PM Modi had said.