Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday rejected strongly West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim that the saffron party was playing a "divide and rule game," charging her with consistently misleading people of the state.
This came after Banerjee made comments on Saturday when she responded to the outbreak of violence in Murshidabad as people protested against the amendments to the Waqf Act, accusing the BJP of instigating division.
Gone to X, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya challenged the readiness of the state government: "West Bengal police already knew about the rallies. Why, then, did they not stop them in advance? Did mobs, weapons, and stones appear out of thin air?"
Malviya continued to berate the Chief Minister by accusing her of having a history of misleading people. He also stated that the time for accountability was long past and urged her to step down from her position.
He also said, "Using her official letterhead as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee—who is supposed to serve all citizens equally—is instead blaming the principal opposition party and a non-political movement (RSS) for the failures of her administration. This even as her own police force refuted her version of the anti-Hindu violence at Murshidabad as instigated by outside forces."
Violence had broken out in places such as Murshidabad and Bhangar in South 24 Parganas during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act. Police and protesters clashed, and police vehicles were set ablaze. A minimum of three people died in the violence.
Mamata Banerjee Targets BJP, RSS Over Violence
In an open letter released on Saturday, Mamata Banerjee specifically accused the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of circulating falsehoods regarding the Waqf Act-linked unrest throughout the state.
The BJP and their supporters were using the unfortunate incident, which happened due to "provocation," to widen communal divisions, she alleged.
"They are keen to exploit a unfortunate event that has occurred as a result of provocation. They are exploiting it to do the politics of division. They are eager to play the divide and rule game. It is a risky game," she said.
Banerjee also pointed out the rise in the activity of the RSS in West Bengal, stating, "The BJP and its allies have become suddenly very aggressive in West Bengal. RSS is also one of their friends. I did not speak of RSS before, but today I am compelled to state that they are also behind the ugly propaganda that is going on in the state."
Suvendu Adhikari Criticises Banerjee for "Vote Bank Politics"
Opposition Leader and senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari also targeted the Chief Minister, criticizing her for supposedly abusing her official position in order to issue inflammatory comments.
In a shameless spree of events, the hypocrisy of West Bengal Chief Minister is getting further unraveled. She is abusing her official position and in disguise of giving a so-called 'Peace Message' (mis)using her letter head. She is spreading venom, hatred while indulging in vote bank politics," Adhikari wrote in an X post.
He also blamed her for instilling hatred against the BJP, RSS, and Sangh Parivar by spreading what he called a false narrative. Adhikari specifically criticized her statement accusing the Sangh Parivar of an "ethnic cleansing of Hindus" as a baseless and contradictory claim.
The developments came after strong criticism by Governor CV Ananda Bose, who a day before had blamed the TMC chief for the violence during the anti-Waqf Act protests, issuing a warning about a "cancerous growth of violence" in the state.
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