Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Swapan Dasgupta on Sunday alleged that Rohingya refugees were among the TMC-backed miscreants who attacked JP Nadda’s convoy last week.
Dasgupta, attending a seminar organised by BJP’s intellectual cell at Serampore in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, said that the saffron party was informed a day before the attack about the refugee community’s involvement.
On his way to Diamond Harbour to attend a party event, Nadda’s motorcade was subjected stone pelting on December 10. The BJP national president was on a two-day tour of the poll-bound state on Wednesday and Thursday last week.
“We were informed that there was a Rohingya camp nearby from where Nadda’s convoy was attacked. They went on to take part in TMC’s attack,” Dasgupta was quoted as saying by Bengali daily Sangbad Pratidin.
Dasgupta, a Rajya Sabha MP, also targetted the three IPS officers, who had been alleged of failing to provide proper security to Nadda and were called to report for deputation in New Delhi.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in a communication sent to West Bengal chief secretary Alapan Banerjee, directed IG (South Bengal Range) Rajiv Mishra, DIG (Presidency Range) Praveen Tripathi, and SP (North 24-Parganas) Bholanath Pandey, to report with the Government of India in the national capital.
“The lack of efficiency from those officers led to the attack on Nadda’s convoy. A day before the attack we were tipped that local MLA Saokat Molla was amassing party cadres. That the police did not know about it is unbelievable,” he said.
Reportedly, the 65-year-old Dasgupta spoke about the speculations of President’s Rule in West Bengal as well. Unlike his party colleagues, he batted against the implementation of Article 356.
Declaring that the President’s Rule will benefit West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Dasgupta said, “Don’t let Mamata Banerjee become a political martyr. Make sure that she doesn’t get to say that she was forcefully removed by Article 356.”