BJP, CPM, Congress denounce state of law and order under Mamata government
Telegraph | 6 January 2024
The Sandeshkhali violence on Friday united the BJP, CPM and the Congress in denouncing the state of law and order under the Mamata Banerjee government, prompting Trinamul to hit back with matching belligerence.
The BJP demanded the resignation of the chief minister, who also holds charge of the home department. “Mamata Banerjee doesn’t have the right to remain in her post, she must resign,” BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said.
“When Mamata Banerjee is standing by goons instead of the law, it won’t be wrong to say that she only wants to enjoy power.”
In response, Trinamul demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the government’s inaction over the Manipur unrest.
“The BJP wants Mamata Banerjee’s resignation? The whole nation wants the Prime Minister’s resignation,” Bengal industry minister Shashi Panja said.
State BJP chief Sukanta
Majumdar wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah requesting that the National
Investigation Agency probe the Sandeshkhali incident.
“Given
the severity and nature of this attack, I earnestly request your immediate
intervention in initiating an NIA investigation into this incident,” the letter
said.
“Such
an investigation is crucial to ensure the safety of law enforcement personnel
carrying out their duties and to uphold the rule of law in our country.”
While
the BJP did not directly demand President’s rule — something it has avoided
over the past year, sensing the general unpopularity of the idea — Majumdar
cited remarks made by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a Calcutta High Court
judge, in favour of central intervention.
The
demand for President’s rule did come but from an unlikely source — the
Congress, Mamata’s INDIA partner. “After this attack by miscreants from the
ruling establishment, against central agency officials, it is clearer than ever
that there is no law and order here,” State Congress chief Adhir Ranjan
Chowdhury, also the Congress’s leader in the Lok Sabha, said.
“Today,
they escaped with injuries. Tomorrow, they could be murdered. Even that ought
not to be a surprise any longer. It’s a fit case for President’s rule; it ought
to be imposed without further ado.”
Mamata’s
bete noire Suvendu Adhikari, a Trinamul defector to the BJP who is now leader
of the Opposition in the Assembly, said the chief minister was the “main
reason” for what happened at Sandeshkhali.
He
referred to past instances of Mamata urging people to stand up to the allegedly
atrocious “agency raj” of the BJP-led Centre.
“Instead
of upholding the constitutional norms, respecting the federal structure and
abiding by the judicial directions, you have time and again tried to instigate
your unruly party workers who are less political and more radical; supporting
fundamentalism,” he posted on X.
Lauding
the central forces personnel at Sandeshkhali for staying calm under pressure
and not firing, Adhikari alleged a plan by Mamata to instigate a
Sitalkuchi-like tragedy.
“The
brave jawans (foiled) @MamataOfficial’s cunning plan of creating a situation
which would end up looking like Sitalkuchi, had they fired even once,” he
wrote.
Central
forces had opened fire at a polling booth in Sitalkuchi during the 2021
Assembly polls, killing four people. The incident is believed to have been a
key inflection point in the election that returned Mamata to power for a third
consecutive term.
“If
one person from the mob had died today, Mamata Banerjee and her whole party
leadership would have succeeded in diverting attention from the limitless
corruption and the investigation to nab the culprits,” Adhikari claimed.
Besides
the communal undertones of the Sitalkuchi reference, Adhikari and others in the
BJP repeatedly alleged that the attackers at Sandeshkhali were
Trinamul-sheltered Rohingyas, appearing to make another attempt at
polarisation, a policy that has so far failed in Bengal.
“We
maintain zero tolerance for corruption, unlike the BJP. The BJP has always
incited violence among people,” minister Panja said.
“Even
now, they are making communal comments, with the likes of Sukanta Majumdar and
Suvendu Adhikari leading from the front. This is utterly outrageous, thoroughly
condemnable.”
CPM
state secretary Md Salim attacked the Trinamul government over what he said was
worsening law and order. But he was equally unsparing on the BJP and its
leaders such as Adhikari, whom he accused of having encouraged the rise of
hooliganism during their time in Mamata’s party.
“Trinamul
has allowed these miscreants to thrive and prosper for the sake of increasing
its clout. But such BJP leaders cannot expect to be absolved of the
responsibility,” Salim said.
Trinamul
accused the BJP of trying to deflect attention from its own crimes by
triggering disorder.
“From
what we have heard, people of the area were provoked and they retaliated. We
have repeatedly said that we do not support violence of any kind,” Panja said.
“We
have no issues with any investigation, but there are some who are deliberately
trying to foment disorder. They are deliberately trying to create situations to
defame Bengal.”
She
added: “If we knew about the arrival of the central investigative agencies, we
would have cooperated…. Every state has certain sensitive areas and the state
government has a better idea about these areas.”
Panja
said the masses were now able to see right through the political agenda behind
the central agencies’ activities, which she accused the BJP of misusing to target
the national Opposition.