Kolkata: The tussle between the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government and the Centre over an attack on BJP president J.P. Nadda’s convoy intensified on Friday with the former deciding not to send the state’s chief secretary and police chief to New Delhi in compliance with Union Home Ministry’s summons.
In a letter to Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, state chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay said that he had been directed to request to “dispense with the presence of the state officials” in the meeting convened on 14 December.
Nadda’s convoy was allegedly attacked with stones and bricks while on its way to Diamond Harbour in Kolkata on Thursday. Several cars in the convoy, including that of BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, were damaged in the attack. About ten BJP leaders, including Vijayvargiya and Mukul Roy, received minor injuries.
Following the attack, the Centre had sought a report from the Bengal government on the attack. It had also sought a report from the state governor on the law and order situation in the state.
Meanwhile, Bengal Governor Dhankhar slammed CM Mamata Banerjee over the attack on Nadda’s convoy, calling it a “slur on democratic fabric”.
“The Chief Minister has to follow the Constitution. She cannot depart from its paths. The law and order situation in the state has been continuously worsening for long. The events that happened yesterday are most unfortunate. They are a slur on our democratic fabric,” he said.
Nadda, too, hit out at the Mamata government, saying anarchy is at its peak in West Bengal, all with the blessings of the Chief Minister. While speaking to ANI in Kolkata where he concluded his two-day visit, Nadda further said that the party would fight the upcoming elections democratically and that Banerjee was frustrated as she had lost ground in the state. “Mamata ji always tries to hide the truth. Anarchy is at its peak in West Bengal. There is lawlessness in the State and the state administration is crumbling down. It is all with the blessings of Mamata ji. The people of West Bengal are aware, they know how to answer in elections. Mamata ji is frustrated as she has lost ground in the State,” he said.
“We will fight democratically. We will go to the people with this belief in democracy. We will show how Mamata ji has misled the people and stopped development in the state,” he added.
