Mamata Banerjee addresses a Trinamool Congress meeting at Nadia district in West Bengal on Friday. (Press Trust of India)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a frontal attack on the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of stage-managing the October 2 Burdwan blast with the objective of triggering riots in the state.
As the Opposition BJP called it a diversionary tactics - given the arrest of Trinamool Congress parliamentarian Srinjoy Bose in the Saradha scam - Ms Banerjee claimed Bose was arrested to retaliate against her presence at the birth anniversary celebrations of Jawaharlal Nehru in Delhi.
Addressing a meeting of party workers in Kolkata, Ms Banerjee said the Centre, which is in charge of border security, had let in illegal immigrants into Bengal with explosives and helped them find a house and make bombs with the objective of triggering riots in the state.
"They first said illegal immigrants should be thrown out. Now the Burdwan incident seems a little bit related. When did the man rent the house at Khagragarh? In July, after the Modi govt came to power," Ms Banerjee said. "You let them in, found them a house, allowed them to make explosives and tried to start a riot during the Pujas."
The Chief Minister had earlier received a rap on the knuckles from National Security Adviser Ajit Doval for being unaware of the terrorist modules mushrooming in the state. (
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The BJP - which had already attacked her government over the denial of permission for a rally of party chief Amit Shah in Kolkata -- responded with derision. (Read:
BJP Goes to Court Over Kolkata Rally for President Amit Shah)
"The very fact that Mamata is now trying to deflect attention from the Saradha scam through these statements, reveals that the truth is reaching the doors of the TMC and her office. The Saradha scam needs to be investigated more," said BJP's Nalin Kohli.
The Chief Minister hit back, saying, "I went to attend the Nehru programme and so the attempt to retaliate against me by arresting Srinjoy Bose. I will go a thousand times if there are talks for a secular front," she said. "Don't forget, BJP government, I have also worked for 23 years in Delhi. I know what can happen and from where. Don't harass me."