West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday hit out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for blaming the attack on Bharatiya Janata Party President JP Nadda’s convoy on “outsiders” and warned her to not “play with or fan this kind of fire”, NDTV reported.
“Madam Chief Minister, India is one, Indians are one, please do not play with or fan this kind of fire,” Dhankhar was quoted as saying by the news channel. “You are under oath of the constitution, please respect it. Who is an outsider, who is an insider, please do not indulge in these kinds of statements.”
Dhankhar also referred to Banerjee making derogatory remarks against Nadda and asking whether the incident was planned. He asked to maintain dignity and withdraw her statement.
The West Bengal governor said he sent a report to the Centre about the incident, according to ANI. “The events that happened yesterday [on Thursday] are most unfortunate,” he said. “They are a slur on our democratic fabric.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs summoned West Bengal chief secretary and the director general of police over the incident. Home Minister Amit Shah had sought a report from the state government and ordered an inquiry into what he called “sponsored violence” of the ruling Trinamool Congress.
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- Attack on JP Nadda’s convoy: MHA summons two top West Bengal officials, say reports
- West Bengal: BJP chief JP Nadda’s convoy attacked with stones, Amit Shah orders inquiry
Nadda’s convoy was attacked with stones and bricks in Kolkata on Thursday while has was on his way attend a rally in Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district, which is Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s constituency. The convoy also included the cars of BJP leaders Mukul Roy and Kailash Vijayvargiya.
The BJP blamed Trinamool Congress for the attack and accused the police of inaction. Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said a mob of over 200 people, armed with sticks, gathered outside the BJP’s office in Kolkata. “Some of them climbed on the cars parked outside the office and raised slogans,” he said in a letter to Shah. Ghosh alleged that the police did not try to restrain them and let them come close to Nadda’s vehicle.
The police, meanwhile, said that Nadda managed to safely reach the venue of his event and that nothing happened to his convoy. The BJP president was on a two-day visit to West Bengal for an outreach campaign ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.
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