BJP leader Saumitra Khan has hit out at Mamata Banerjee over her letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to intervene and withdraw the Centre's move to expand the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) from 15 kilometres to 50 kilometres stating that the West Bengal chief minister is the "political mother of all terrorists in the country."
Speaking to ANI, Saumitra Khan requested the Prime Minister not to heed to Mamata Banerjee and said that she wants to destroy the country in the same manner in which she had destroyed West Bengal.
The BJP leader further accused the West Bengal chief minister of attempting to turn India into a "dharmashala".
"She is the political mother of all terrorists in the country because when the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed in the Parliament, she opposed it. When the National Register of Citizens was passed, she opposed it because she wants to make India a 'dharmashala'. Is India a dharmashala that the Rohingyas would enter India, kill people here and loot the money of the Indian government?" Mr Khan asked.
The BJP leader also alleged that Mamata Banerjee is supporting the Rohingyas to end the integrity of the country.
"Mamata Banerjee is supporting the Rohingyas to end the integrity of the country. That is the reason she is upset because now terrorists would not be able to enter India as a result of the increase in the border jurisdiction of the BSF from 15 km to 50 km. This is why she is opposing the move as this is her politics," Mr Khan told ANI.
Asked about the chief minister's decision to move a resolution in the West Bengal Assembly, Khan said that the CM does not believe in the states and does not follow the rules of the assembly.
"Has she ever believed in the structure of the country? She does not believe in the states. She does not follow the rules of the assembly. It has become her job to oppose the country," he said.
In a move aimed at maintaining "zero tolerance" against terrorism and cross border crimes, the Centre has empowered the Border Security Force (BSF) to conduct searches, arrest suspects and make seizures up to an area of 50 km inside Indian territory from International Border (IB) along India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders.
As per the fresh order, the BSF, which was only empowered to take action up to fifteen kilometres in the states of Punjab, West Bengal and Assam, has now been authorised to spread its jurisdiction up to 50 km without any hurdle or further permission either from central or state governments.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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