KOLKATA:West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday pointed fingers at the BJP over the recent violence in Birbhum district even as she justified the arrest of the Muslim woman who was a victim of police high-handedness.
Just before attending an administrative meeting at Bolpur in Birbhum, 160 km from here, Mamata without directly taking the name of the saffron party remarked, “I don’t want to name but there is a certain political party which is hiring goons from outside and fomenting terror in Birbhum. I will not allow forcible occupation of villages through violence. We will not tolerate it and not allow another Singur and Nandigram to be repeated here.”
Regarding the arrest of the Muslim woman, who is in jail with her three-year-old son,the Bengal Chief Minister said, “None can take law into their hands even if they belong to a political party. She must have done something. Otherwise, why will the police arrest her?”
“Police guards might be posted at her home but they are not entering her home or prevented her relations who visited her. I don’t know what she was doing inside her home. I am not God and cannot satisfy all your queries. I have asked the DGP to take action as violent incidents have been taking place,” an agitated Didi told reporters when she was asked about the housewife being charged with offences, including manufacturing and hurling bombs.
Meanwhile,there was massive police deployment in Birbhum along the Chief Minister’s route to ensure that there were no protest demonstrations with black flags since in the aftermath of last year’s Lok Sabha elections several violent clashes had taken place in the district between the TMC and the BJP workers as several Muslim villagers had joined the saffron party.
In view of the Assembly polls scheduled for next year, Mamata in a separate meeting directed the district Trinamoll eaders to find ways to put an end to the violence which had claimed several lives. However, the Opposition parties mocked the Chief Minister for admitting that the villagers were being terrorised in Birbhum.State Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury MP said,” For the last four years, she didn’t know who was creating terror in the state She should admit that she has been a failure as Chief Minister and Home Minister and tender her resignation.”