Hitting out at the West Bengal government over the death of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker in the state, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of being "biased" and "instigating violence" through her speeches.
The BJP leader was reacting over the death of a party worker Raju Jha, who was allegedly shot dead by some unidentified miscreants on Saturday night in Shaktigarh of Purba Bardhaman in West Bengal.
Talking to ANI, Anurag Thakur said, "In Bengal, the Ram Bhakts are attacked with lathis, stones are pelted, bombs are thrown, arson, violence takes place, the shobha yatra during Ram Navami was stopped. And all this has happened right under the nose of Mamata Banerjee".
"She (Mamata Banerjee) is the role model for how the law and order situation worsens in a state. It can be seen, how the Chief Minister is biased and anti-Hindu," he added.
Anurag Thakur further said, "She has kept her eyes closed to all the violence and restricted herself to just one section. It can also be observed in her speeches, how she stands with one section and instigates violence against people of the Hindu community".
Earlier in the day, Union Minister Anurag Thakur had attacked the Bengal government over the communal clashes in the state.
Attacking the Mamata Banerjee government, Anurag Thakur said, "Mamata Didi is sleeping. She is providing security to one section. On the incidents of stone pelting, arson and violence during the 'Shobha Yatra' of the Hindu community, she kept on taking a selective stand. It is very unfortunate that Hindus are attacked under the protection of a Chief Minister, and she only plays the role of an audience".
"What is the point of being a Chief Minister, that when you are elected, violence happens, and now again violence has taken place during the Ram Navami," he added.
In West Bengal, two groups clashed in Howrah amid Ram Navami celebrations on March 30. Several vehicles were set on fire, and public and private properties were vandalised during the clashes.
The West Bengal police on Saturday said that a total of 38 people have been arrested, two cases have been registered and section 144 has been imposed in some areas.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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