West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday made a statement in the assembly after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sought a reply from her on Sandeshkhali violence. While addressing the assembly, the chief minister targeted the BJP saying Sandeshkhali has become a bunker of (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) RSS.
Those who are making statements are BJP workers who are speaking after wearing masks on their faces, she added.
Banerjee did not miss attacking the media and said that fake media should be shut down and real media should function.
The BJP is spreading lies on Sandeshkhali and the police are taking action against people who are spreading lies, the CM said.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the saffron party stepped up its attack against the Mamata government over Sandeshkhali violence. The BJP MLAs staged a walkout from the assembly demanding a statement from Banerjee. Recently, Sandeshkhali witnessed protests by the BJP over alleged atrocities on locals by ruling TMC leaders.
On Monday, six BJP MLAs including Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, were suspended from the House over protests regarding the Sandeshkhali issue.
BJP's protests in Sandeshkhali
Protests persisted in Sandeshkhali for the seventh consecutive day on Wednesday, with a significant number of women taking to the streets, demanding the arrest of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his followers. The accusations against Shajahan and his aides include forcefully capturing land and sexually harassing women.
Sheikh has been absconding since January 5 whena mob attacked Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers during a raid at his residence in connection with an alleged ration scam.
BJP delegation also to visit violence-hit area
BJP president JP Nadda constituted a six-member committee of party MPs, five of them being women, who will on Friday visit West Bengal's Sandeshkhali which has been rocked by protests over allegations of sexual assault of women by TMC supporters.
Union ministers Pratima Bhoumik, Annapurna Devi, who is the committee's convener, Sunita Duggal, Kavita Patidar, Sangeeta Yadav and Brij Lal, a former Uttar Pradesh DGP, are part of the committee, a statement from the BJP said. Party sources said they will visit Sandeshkhali on Friday.
The party said the incidents of sexual exploitation and violence against women are heart-rending and alleged the local administrator has been a mute spectator.
"Law and order has collapsed in the entire state," it claimed.
However, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh claimed that false allegations were being made in connection with Sandeshkhali, a place in North 24 Parganas district, and claimed that police and the TMC leadership were taking appropriate steps against anyone accused of atrocities.
National Commission for Scheduled Castes to visit Sandeshkhali
A team of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on Thursday visited trouble-torn Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district.
Led by the panel's Chairman Arun Halder, the team spoke to residents of the area, which is predominantly inhabited by people belonging to SC and other backward communities.
Meanwhile, the police have set up barricades on approach roads to Sandeshkhali police to prevent political personalities from visiting the place.
Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly had announced that he along with other BJP legislators would visit Sandeshkhali during the day.
"We are requesting BJP leaders not to go there and hope they will return," a police officer said.
(With PTI inputs)
