The West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamul Congress is trying to implicate the Congress activists in the violence that broke out over the amended citizenship law, alleged Adhir Chowdhury, the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, here today. Reacting to some TMC leaders’ allegation that the hardcore crimes like arsons and attack on security personnel were likely instigated by the Congress MLA from Beldanga and his followers, Mr Chowdhury said: “The TMC’s move to target the Congress leaders and workers for NRCCAA- related violence is politically motivated. The Congress house should not be filled with TMC luggage. The violence over CAA in Murshidabad district was allowed to take place for four consecutive days in Beldanga and several other railway stations. The state police played the role of passive onlookers. It means that either the chief minister directed the police to remain silent or the police personnel defied the chief minister’s orders during the days of violence,” he said.
One should take note of the fact that only the central government’s property was targeted, sparing those of the state government, the MP said. He warned the state government, saying, “If the TMC government further targets the Congress party on the issue of marathon violence over NRC, we shall show how far we can go.” The chief minister should explain why eight of her party MPs did not cast their votes against CAB in Parliament, said Mr Chowdhury, the Congress MP from Behrampore. The Trinamul Congress MPs who abstained from voting against the citizenship Bill speak against CAA in Bengal but in Delhi they are in secret lining up with the Narendra Modi government, he said. It is possible that the errant TMC MPs helped pass the Bill (CAB) in lieu of money, alleged Mr Chowdhury.
The Congress parliamentarian put the blame on the TMC chief Mamata Banerjee for the growth of BJP in Bengal. He slammed the TMC, stating that Mamata Banerjee should apologise publicly before the Muslim community because it was she who roped in the BJP here in Bengal. During the TMC regime, secular forces were decimated in a planned manner, thus causing a vacuum that eventually made room for BJP, the MP remarked.The Mamata Banerjee government has lost sight of its priority, Mr Chowdhury said, reacting to the TMC delegates’ visit to violence- hit areas in Uttar Pradesh. At a time when Bengal burns, the need of the hour is to create adequate awareness on NRC and CAA and provide relief to those affected by communal violence, the parliamentarian said.