TMC slams oppn plot to ‘stoke communal flames’, BJP blames ‘law and order failure’
Times of India | 13 April 2025
Kolkata: The Murshidabad violence on Saturday prompted Trinamool to blame BJP and the opposition for conspiring to stoke communal flames in Bengal. BJP blamed TMC for the law and order failure.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee led the charge against BJP. "After failing to fight us politically on the issue of development, many are trying to spread unrest in Bengal by sowing divisions in the name of religion. I appeal to all today to maintain peace and uphold Bengal's legacy of harmony. We must all be alert and aware. Some people want Bengal to burn," he said.
Banerjee blamed "BJP and CPM for conspiring to plunge Bengal into chaos and lawlessness". "They want the flames of hatred to engulf the state. But let it be known that we're ready to fight back with full force. We have never allowed any harm to come to our people, and this time will be no different," he added.
TMC's Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien said: "BJP passed the Waqf Bill in the dead of night in Parliament. And after that, they have been busy stoking fires of communalism across various states. This is the classic playbook of BJP-RSS."
Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged: "We are saying this repeatedly that a probe will investigate if BJP's agencies are using source money to aggravate the matter. At the same time, information is being gathered to see if a section of CPM and Congress are handing over political ammo to BJP by provoking some people."
Union minister and Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar called upon CM Mamata Banerjee to strictly enforce the rule of law in trouble-torn pockets of Murshidabad, accusing the administration of choosing to look the other way as "Hindus are coming under attack" in Samserganj, Suti and Jangipur.
State leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, in a letter to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, drew his attention to vandalism at various stations in Murshidabad during violent protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act. "I humbly request that the investigation into these acts of vandalism be handed over to National Investigation Agency (NIA)," he wrote.
BJP also dismissed TMC's statements that the Waqf Act would not apply to the state. Pointing out that it was a central law applicable to all, BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya said: "The truth is, no state govt has the authority to block a law passed by the Indian Parliament. Mamata Banerjee has no choice but to comply."