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‘Small incidents’: Mamata Banerjee downplays West Bengal arson
At her rally, Mamata Banerjee read out an anti-CAA oath and asked the crowd to repeat after her.
Days after railways services in West Bengal were disrupted because of the burning of trains, railway property and signalling systems, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said “small incidents” of arson took place in the state. She was speaking at an anti-citizenship law road show in Kolkata.
“One or two small incidents have taken place here or there but the railway authorities have stopped services completely, causing immense inconvenience to people. I would like to request them to resume services,” said Banerjee.
State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Dilip Ghosh said, “Those who burnt trains and railway stations are all illegal Bangladeshi migrants. Banerjee is inciting and encouraging them to destroy Bengal.”
“She described the arson as small incidents because she was disappointed. She wanted to see more damage done to government property,” Ghosh added.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member Md Salim said, “She should not lament destruction of public property. She and her leaders went on the rampage inside the state assembly in 2006, destroying furniture and property. It was unprecedented.”
At her rally, Banerjee read out an anti-CAA oath and asked the crowd to repeat after her. She asked people to carry on the agitation but without blocking roads or resorting to any form of violence.
The BJP also took out counter rallies in south Kolkata and Howrah. In Howrah, BJP workers were stopped by police. “Mamata Banerjee’s policemen do no stop those who burn buses but becomes over active when BJP takes out peaceful processions,” said BJP state general secretary Raju Banerjee, who led the procession.
Meanwhile, the police arrested All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)’s top organiser in the state, Zameerul Hassan, in Kolkata and at least a dozen AIMIM organisers from different districts, forcing the Hyderabad-based party to cancel its rally that was scheduled on December 18.
The police had earlier denied permission for the rally in the heart of Kolkata to protest CAA.
