‘Mamata Banerjee hates Hindus': BJP attacks Bengal CM for not visiting Murshidabad
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday launched a sharp attack on West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of deliberately ignoring the victims of Murshidabad violence because of "her hatred for Hindus."
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi, BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "She hates Hindus." The BJP leader was answering a question about Banerjee not visiting Murshidabad, where violence broke out during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
"Had such atrocities been carried out against Muslim brothers, Banerjee would have been agitating and camping there," Patra charged.
Also Read | Mamata Banerjee slams BJP, RSS; accuses them of 'playing divide and rule game'
The BJP leader also criticised the CPI(M), accusing the Left party of distancing itself from two of the victims of the Murshidabad violence -- allegedly its workers, as they were Hindus.
'Those who were killed in the violence were communist party workers. Neither the communist party nor Mamata Banerjee owns them. Their only fault is that their names are Hargobind and Chandan," the BJP leader said.
Violence broke out in West Bengal's Murshidabad, a Muslim-majority district, on April 11, during a protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
The protest turned violent, resulting in two deaths, several injuries, and property damage. Thousands of people fled their homes in search of safety.
Also Read | Supreme Court on plea seeking Article 355 action in Murshidabad: 'As it is, we are alleged…'
The protest later spread to other districts, including Malda, South 24 Parganas, and Hooghly, where incidents of arson, stone-pelting, and road blockades were reported.
As the situation remains tense, the BJP has intensified its accusations of selective outrage and religious bias against both the Trinamool Congress and the CPI(M).
Union Minister and West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar on Monday visited the violence-affected areas and met with the victims affected by the Waqf Act protests.
After meeting the victims, Majumdar stated that if the Kolkata High Court permitted the National Investigation Agency to conduct an investigation, the government would need to follow the court's orders.
Also Read | SC to hear plea for President's rule in Bengal, notes criticism on alleged overreach
He also took a jibe at CM Mamata Banerjee for pressurising authorities to send the victims back, questioning where they would go when their homes had been destroyed.
"We stand with the demands of the people. Some people have gone to the court for an NIA inquiry. All our eyes are towards the court now. If the Kolkata High Court permits an NIA investigation, the government will follow suit. Mamata Banerjee is pressuring the authorities to send the victims back, but where would they go? Their homes have been burned and destroyed," Majumdar said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
34 minutes ago
- Time of India
AAP slams demolition in Bhoomiheen camp, DDA defends action
New Delhi: A demolition drive was held at the Bhoomiheen camp in Kalkaji amid a heavy deployment of cops on Wednesday morning. Calling the demolition a "deliberate assault on the marginalised", AAP alleged that BJP govt defied its own chief minister Rekha Gupta's promise of "not a single jhuggi will be touched". Local MLA Atishi alleged that BJP was betraying the poor. "Just three days ago, CM Rekha Gupta claimed that not a single jhuggi would be demolished and no poor person's home would be touched. Yet, under the cover of heavy police presence, the entire Bhoomiheen camp was razed to the ground, displacing thousands of people and leaving them homeless on the streets," she said. Delhi Development Authority said the demolition was against ineligible dwellers encroaching upon five acres of its land. It stated that under the in situ slum rehabilitation project at Kalkaji, after applying the eligibility criteria as per DUSIB's rehabilitation and relocation policy of 2015, approved by the then Delhi govt, some residents were found to be eligible for rehabilitation and some were not. "As per policy, the households whose names appear in one of the voter lists of the years 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 (prior to 01.01.2015) and possess one of the 12 documents prescribed in the policy, like a passport, electricity bill, driving licence, or passbook issued by a public sector bank or post office, are eligible for alternative accommodation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play Chess on Your PC, Free Play Classic Chess Install Now Undo Their names should also appear in the voter list of the year of the survey," it added. Households using the jhuggi for commercial purposes, those with residents under 18 years of age, and those living on the upper floor without a separate ration card prior to 01.01.2015 do not qualify for alternative allotment, DDA further explained. A total of 1,862 eligible households of Bhoomiheen camp were rehabilitated to EWS flats in Kalkaji Extension between Nov 2022 and May 2023, said DDA. The project is located on a land of 3 hectares with a total construction cost of Rs 345 crore, excluding land cost. These flats have been given at a highly subsidised price of Rs 1.1 lakh as beneficiary contribution, it added. The ineligible dwellers were given an opportunity to file an appeal before the Appellate Authority, the land-owning agency said. DDA further claimed that most of the houses demolished on Wednesday were lying vacant. "344 jhuggi structures existed which were mostly vacant. There is no stay against demolition of these jhuggi structures," it said in a statement. BJP did not comment on the development.
Indian Express
37 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Flood situation won't arise this year,' says Delhi CM; AAP hits back
With the monsoon nearing, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta issued a 'Flood Control Order 2025' on Wednesday. The order, said officials, will apply to all departments responsible for monsoon management and clearing drains in the Capital — Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Public Works Department (PWD), Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FC) and the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). The order was issued during a meeting of the apex committee on flood control, chaired by Gupta at the Delhi Secretariat, where BJP ministers, MPs, and MLAs were in attendance, along with senior officials from PWD, MCD, DDA, DJB, I&FC, and other civic agencies. 'The Delhi government is fully prepared. Two years ago, there were floods in Delhi. The gates of the barrage did not even open at that time. But I can assure you that flood situation will not arise this time. The government and all departments are fully prepared,' she told reporters after the meeting. Hitting out, the AAP said in a statement, 'CM Gupta truly represents 'Phulera ki Panchayat', as she lacks even basic knowledge about the ITO barrage. The barrage is maintained by the BJP-ruled Haryana government. In 2023, they had to suspend their Chief Engineer for failing to maintain the barrage gates… It is good that… the BJP has now accepted that the ITO barrage gates were indeed the main cause of the 2023 floods.' The order is supposed to serve as an annual guidebook for all departments in case of a flood situation. Sector committees have been formed under the leadership of Cabinet Ministers — Pravesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, and Manjinder Singh Sirsa. Each committee will include three to four district magistrates (DM) responsible for flood management in their respective sectors. A Central Flood Control Room, which will function as a city-wide coordination hub, is set to start on June 15. It has been established at the office of the DM (East), where representatives from all civic bodies will be stationed 24×7. In addition, 14 wireless stations will monitor water levels of the Yamuna and other vulnerable areas continuously. Gupta said if the Yamuna crosses the warning level of 204.5 metres during the monsoon, residents in low-lying areas will be alerted and shifted to safer locations. (with PTI inputs)
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
Parties prepare for PCMC poll amid differing views on ward system
1 2 3 Pune: Political parties in Pimpri Chinchwad began preparations for the civic poll a day after state govt announced a four-member ward system for the election. City units of political parties held meetings with their workers, with BJP expressing confidence in winning the poll under the new ward system. Opposition parties, however, criticized govt for changing the three-member ward system, for which a draft was announced during MVA govt in 2022, for advantage. BJP's Pimpri Chinchwad unit president Shatrughna Kate said, "We had 77 elected corporators in 2017. Five independent corporators also sided with us, taking the total to 82. Considering this number, we are confident of winning the civic poll even without an alliance. The party has strong local leaders in each ward and the four-member system will benefit us." He said though party workers wanted to contest solo, the final decision would be taken by the state leadership. A senior official from PCMC's election department told TOI that there would be no changes in the total number of wards and elected members. The civic body will have 128 corporators from 32 wards, the official said. Tushar Kamthe, the city president of NCP (SP), said, "The announcement of four-member ward system shows that BJP is not confident. Else, they would have stuck to the three-member ward announced during MVA govt." Kamthe said party chief Sharad Pawar was personally monitoring preparations in Pimpri Chinchwad and would hold a meeting with the workers on June 17. "The party will give opportunity to new faces. We are prepared to contest solo or in alliance," he said. Experts said the four-member ward system was likely to cause seat-sharing issues if MVA or Mahayuti decided to contest in alliance. Sanjog Waghere, the city chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), said there should have been a three or two-member ward system for the benefit of residents. "There are many citizens' issues that have remained unaddressed over the last few years, including when BJP was in office at PCMC. And the situation remained unchanged due to the four-member ward system," he said. Waghere said they already held a meeting with party workers for Bhosari constituency and more meetings were scheduled for Pimpri and Chinchwad constituencies on June 15. Pune: Political parties in Pimpri Chinchwad began preparations for the civic poll a day after state govt announced a four-member ward system for the election. City units of political parties held meetings with their workers, with BJP expressing confidence in winning the poll under the new ward system. Opposition parties, however, criticized govt for changing the three-member ward system, for which a draft was announced during MVA govt in 2022, for advantage. BJP's Pimpri Chinchwad unit president Shatrughna Kate said, "We had 77 elected corporators in 2017. Five independent corporators also sided with us, taking the total to 82. Considering this number, we are confident of winning the civic poll even without an alliance. The party has strong local leaders in each ward and the four-member system will benefit us." He said though party workers wanted to contest solo, the final decision would be taken by the state leadership. A senior official from PCMC's election department told TOI that there would be no changes in the total number of wards and elected members. The civic body will have 128 corporators from 32 wards, the official said. Tushar Kamthe, the city president of NCP (SP), said, "The announcement of four-member ward system shows that BJP is not confident. Else, they would have stuck to the three-member ward announced during MVA govt." Kamthe said party chief Sharad Pawar was personally monitoring preparations in Pimpri Chinchwad and would hold a meeting with the workers on June 17. "The party will give opportunity to new faces. We are prepared to contest solo or in alliance," he said. Experts said the four-member ward system was likely to cause seat-sharing issues if MVA or Mahayuti decided to contest in alliance. Sanjog Waghere, the city chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), said there should have been a three or two-member ward system for the benefit of residents. "There are many citizens' issues that have remained unaddressed over the last few years, including when BJP was in office at PCMC. And the situation remained unchanged due to the four-member ward system," he said. Waghere said they already held a meeting with party workers for Bhosari constituency and more meetings were scheduled for Pimpri and Chinchwad constituencies on June 15.
