Kolkata: BJP today rejected West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's charge that the state government had not been consulted by the Centre about Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Teen Bigha, and insisted that Singh's office had informed the state on March 25.
BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh said that on March 25, the Union Home Minister's office had communicated to the Governor's office, home secretary, chief secretary and the chief Minister about the visit and that there was no breach of protocol.
Singh accused Banerjee of unnecessarily politicising the visit, saying “if she is saying she is not aware, then I don't know what kind of system she is running. It was conveyed on March 25. She wants to politicise the matter as she is unable to control Bangladeshi infiltration and cattle trade.”
Singh alleged that Mamata Banerjee does not believe in democratic values and protocols in the federal structure.
Banerjee earlier said on Facebook that the Centre should have consulted the state government about the visit and wondered whether it was a ‘political visit' by Singh with BJP MPs. Singh was accompanied by party MP S S Ahluwalia.
“Today Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Ji has visited Chhit-Mahal (Indo-Bangladesh enclaves) areas in Cooch Behar, along with BJP MPs. Is it an official visit or a political visit?” Banerjee said in her post on the popular social network site.
Singh said he was surprised that Mamata Banerjee continued to politicise something that was related to national security, irrespective of the Centre's cooperation with the state.
