Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday condemned the attack on the convoy of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda in West Bengal and took a subtle dig at the law-and-order situation in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country.
“It is a declaration of the broken-down situation of law and order in West Bengal. We condemn it. But it is going on in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of India as well,” Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
On the matter of President’s rule in West Bengal, the Congress leader said it was up to the government to decide. “I think that declaring President’s rule in West Bengal is a matter which is to be decided by Government of India,” he said.
Several vehicles in the BJP chief’s convoy were damaged as Nadda was travelling to Diamond Harbour to address a public meeting and some of the party’s leaders and workers were injured by stone-throwing protesters carrying the ruling Trinamool Congress’ (TMC’s) flags at Sirakol.
Earlier on Friday, the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) sent a summons to West Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay and director general of police (DGP) Virendra to appear on December 14. The home ministry is likely to seek an explanation from the two regarding the law-and-order situation in the state and the preventions taken so far against political violence and other crimes, according to a report in PTI.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier on Friday, the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) sent a summons to West Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay and director general of police (DGP) Virendra to appear on December 14. The home ministry is likely to seek an explanation from the two regarding the law-and-order situation in the state and the preventions taken so far against political violence and other crimes, according to a report in PTI.
{{/usCountry}}The ruling TMC expressed strong disapproval against the summons, accusing the BJP of trying to create tension in West Bengal so the Centre can interfere in the matters related to the state. “What is the central government is doing by sending a letter (seeking report) from the state government is unconstitutional. The MHA summoning the chief secretary and DGP is unacceptable. The BJP and the central government are trying to create a situation where they can interfere with the federal structure,” TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee said at a press conference.
On the other hand, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has sent a report to the Centre, stating that the state is covered in a dangerous game of insider and outsider. “Finding the situation alarming, as my constitutional duty, I have sent a report to the central government about the extremely disturbing developments that do not augur well for democratic values, that are antithetical to rule of law, that sound death knell of constitutional parameters,” he told a press conference at the Raj Bhawan. He also cautioned chief minister Mamata Banerjee not to “play with fire”.