Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 4: The West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday redoubled her charges against the BJP accusing the party of “hiring goons from Bihar” to incite communal riots in the state as a 19-year old youth who was carrying a gun at the “Ram Navami” rally in Howrah was arrested from Munger in Bihar.
Official sources said the youth identified as Sumit Shaw had confessed of being armed with a gun while participating in the procession taken out on the occasion of “Ram Navami” in Howrah which soon turned violent causing communal unrest in the region. The disturbances were carried over for the next three days spreading to the neighbouring Hoogly district with the BJP demanding Banerjee’s resignation for her government’s failure to control the communal disturbances.
The TMC has claimed that Shaw belonged to the BJP which stand as a testimony to her allegation that the saffron party was importing people from outside the state to incite violence in West Bengal.
“The BJP hires people to incite riots and violence,” Banerjee said as she addressed party workers in Khejuri in East Medinipur district. The accusation came days after Howrah and Hooghly erupted in clashes during the Ram Navami processions.
“I had to be alert all the time and be on the lookout for when and where the BJP would go and create riots. These people do not understand that the people of Bengal do not like riots. We don’t riot and the common people don’t riot. If BJP can’t do it, they hire people to incite riots,” Banerjee said about the Ram Navami clashes in the state.
“They are bringing hooligans from Bihar. They entered Howrah with bulldozers, tractors and guns and torched several homes. They did not have police permission (for the procession). After Howrah, they went to Rishra,” she added.
“These people who incited violence have no religion,” the chief minister said. “What kind of religion is this? I believe they are neither Hindus nor Muslims. They are only the BJP’s goondas (goons),” she said.
She pointed out that West Bengal celebrate several Hindu festivals but without any hooliganism. “The BJP is maligning the name of Lord Ram by organising violence during Ram Navami. They are defaming the Hindu religion by pitting one community against another. The BJP said that if it came to power in Bihar, it would hang rioters upside down. Why are they not doing that to their goondas?” she asked.
She also trained her guns on the CPM which had ruled the state for over three decades before her Trinamool Congress overthrew it some eight years ago. Accusing the CPM of Colluding with the BJP, she said, “Baam” (Left) and “Ram” (BJP) have joined hands against us. They are plotting to assassinate my character. But they don’t know me.”
Banerjee said, “The people belonging to all communities have stopped them (the BJP) with the slogan ‘Khela Hobe.” Recollecting the prime minister Narendra Modi’s teasing call to her during the state election campaign last year, Banerjee said, “How can I forget ‘Didi, oooo Didi’ or ‘ebar 200 paar (this time over 200 seats)’? When they failed, they looted Nandigram. Why was there a power cut on the day of counting? We will bring justice in the days to come,” she asserted.
Referring to the allegations of the TMC’s hands in the “so-called post-poll violence” in the state, the chief minister claimed there have been no such incidents. “There was no post-poll violence in the state. They are traitors. They can’t capture Bengal but they want to capture Delhi. Sometimes bad elements are born in a family. These bad elements are responsible for riots,” Banerjee said in an obvious reference to her once-close aide Suvendu Adhikari, who had turned saffron just before the Assembly polls and has now become her bitterest critic.