Reacting sharply to the attack on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) team in West Bengal, Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday (January 5) likened the regime of the Trinamool Congress government in the state to that of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un under whom democracy is noticeably absent in the country. The Minister said that democracy does not seem to be hailing in Mamata Banerjee-ruled state and that it appears that there is a “Kim Jong-Un government”.
"There is nothing like democracy in West Bengal. There seems to be a Kim Jong-Un government there. Adhir Ranjan has said that it would not be new even if there was a murder. This is Mamata Banerjee's democracy," Giriraj Singh alleged.
When the ED team reached West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Thursday night, their car was attacked and its windows were broken.
BJP slams TMC over incident
The BJP lashed out at the TMC over the incident and alleged that the “goons” of the party and the Rohingya Muslims who had illegally crossed into Bengal had carried out the attack in which two to three ED officials were injured.
"The ED officers, who were carrying out an investigation, came under attack by TMC goons and Rohingyas, who infiltrated Bengal. Jungle Raj is prevailing in West Bengal under the very nose of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee," the BJP alleged.
Congress comes down heavily on ‘ally’ TMC
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also criticised its ally in the I.N.D.I.A bloc TMC, and said that there was no law and order in the state.
"After the attack by goons of the ruling government on ED officials, it is clear that there is no law and order in the state. Today, they were injured, tomorrow they can be murdered. Such a thing would not come as a surprise to me," he said.
TMC hits back
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh dubbed Chowdhury as the “agent of the BJP”.
"Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is an agent of BJP," Ghosh said.
What actually happened?
On Thursday night, an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team was attacked and its vehicles damaged in Sandeshkhali village of North 24 Parganas in West Bengal, when it tried to raid the residence of block-level leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in connection with an alleged ration scam case, an official of the agency said.
The ED was conducting raids at the residence of former Bongaon Municipality Chairman Shankar Adhya in Bangaon and TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan's house in connection with the alleged ration scam case.
The TMC leader's supporters started protesting outside the leader's residence while the raid was underway and later on a mob attacked ED officials and vandalised their cars, ED officials said.
Two officials of the agency sustained injuries in the incident.
"Eight people came to the spot. We three moved from the incident spot ...they attacked us,” a member of the raiding ED team said.
(With ANI inputs)
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