Amit Shah meets NIA before Midnapore rally; talks about infiltration, cattle smuggling

Home Minister Amit Shah. (Photo: AFP)


Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a two-day tour to West Bengal, held a meeting with NIA officials in Kolkata before his mega rally on Saturday.

According to a report by Anandabazar Patrika, the subjects of the meeting ranged from infiltration to cattle-smuggling. Terror activities in West Bengal were also talked about at length between Shah and the NIA team.

The meeting, which took place over video conferencing, saw Shah also taking up the Rohingya issue. Reportedly, it was a surprise discuss as the meeting did not have any mention in the Home Minister’s schedule.

The topics that were discussed have recently gained grounds in Bengal BJP’s narrative which the party uses to attack TMC.

From calling West Bengal a terror hub to accusing the state administration of giving illegal voter cards to infiltrators and Rohingyas, the Hindutva brigade has been vehement in its assault on Mamata Banerjee’s party.

Meanwhile, it has been alleged that the cattle smugglers were bribing BSF and Customs officials to keep their nefarious business running in West Bengal for years.

As per the reports, Shah – de facto second-most powerful BJP leader – is expected to welcome Suvendu Adhikari to the saffron camp at a mega rally in Midnapore. Adhikari first resigned from the Mamata Banerjee cabinet on November 27 and then from the party on December 16.

Yesterday, with Trinamool Congress leader Kabirul Islam resignation from the post of the general secretary of the party’s minority cell, it was the fourth exit in the last 24 hours from TMC.

Trinamool Congress MLA Shilbhadra Dutta has tendered his resignation from the party on Friday morning. The MLA from Barrackpore had openly resented due to the ‘interference’ by poll strategist Prashant Kishor in the choice of candidates for the state election.

Col Diptanshu Chowdhury (retd) has also resigned from the post of South Bengal State Transport Corporation and head of the state’s grievance monitoring cell and sent his letter to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and governor on Thursday,

These back-to-back exit has reinforced worries for the ruling TMC government in Bengal ahead of the state assembly polls which is just five months away.