Don’t listen to the BJP and create division among yourselves, West Bengal CM tells people in riot-hit areas
MURSHIDABAD — On the second day of her visit to the violence-hit areas of Murshidabad, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that rioters are being brought to the state from outside to orchestrate violence.
She urged people not to create division among themselves by paying heed to the “BJP or religious fundamentalists,” TNIE reported.
“Rioters are being brought to Bengal from outside, do not get provoked by them… Do not create division among yourselves listening to the BJP or any religious fundamentalists,” she said while addressing a government programme in Murshidabad.
“One thing I witnessed even when the Babri Masjid was demolished was that there were no riots in Murshidabad,” she added.
The chief minister also urged people not to indulge in violence over protests against the Waqf Amendment Act.
“There is no question of (implementing) the Act in Bengal,”Banerjee asserted.
Banerjee is currently in Murshidabad on a two-day visit to the riot-hit areas in the district.
Speaking to the public on the first day of her visit, Banerjee had on Monday alleged that the BJP was “shielding” those responsible for the violence and “preventing” the affected families from meeting her.
“I want peace, not riots. West Bengal is known for its communal harmony, and we will protect that at any cost. I want to ask them (BJP), why is this heavily loaded virus being spread to create communal tension and sell the country?” she alleged.
She also slammed the BJP-led Centre for “encouraging communal tension instead of securing the nation.”
“Instead of indulging in communal violence, please take care of the borders. Please take care of India. We love India, it is our motherland. Please save the country from any disaster. Please give justice to those who have lost their dear ones. Do not do nasty and dirty politics. I am the last person to tolerate nasty politics,” she said.
Banerjee also criticised the Border Security Force for firing at the protesters.
“Why did the BSF fire shots? If BSF hadn’t fired shots, the incident would not have flared up the next day,” she said.
Violence erupted in Murshidabad’s Dhuliyan, Samserganj and some other places of the district during the anti-Waqf (Amendment) Act protests in the second week of April, claiming the lives of three persons.
