KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of tabling misleading reports in Parliament suggesting madrasas in two districts of the state were being used for radicalization and recruitment of youth into the terror fold.“When specific questions are asked in Parliament, the Centre seeks a reply from the state government concerned. On June 28, we were asked if students at madrasas in bordering districts of the state were being radicalized. We said the question of radicalization doesn’t even arise.
However, the Centre placed a report of its own in Parliament,” Mamata said at the Bengal Assembly on Friday.She also placed the state’s report on madrasas in the House.The issue was raised by the Union minister of state for Home, G Kishan Reddy on the floor of the Parliament last Tuesday. “There are inputs that Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) is certain madrasas in Burdwan and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal for radicalizing and recruiting activities,” Kishan told the lower House.
Lashing out at the Centre, the Bengal CM said, “Anti-socials are anti-socials. They can’t be viewed through the prism of religion. If something happens, the government will act. The BJP is trying to politicize each and every incident. They’re sending letters to central agencies and are threatening everyone.”Claiming that a “section of BJP leaders” were not allowing the state’s name to be changed to ‘Bangla’, Mamata said, “A section of BJP leaders is opposing the name change. It is politically motivated.”
16 BJP activists hurt in clash with cops
Sixteen supporters of BJP’s youth wing were injured when police rained batons on them and lobbed tear gas shells at Asansol on Friday. The saffron activists ran into a posse of police personnel while marching towards a local civic body. The march was in protest over the ‘cut money’ issue. The injured Yuba Morcha activists were admitted to a local hospital. They are said to be stable.