War of words ensued between Mamata Banerjee and the saffron leadership after the BJP called Bengal a free zone of international terror network and the Bengal Chief Minister promptly hitting back asking how things were like in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
This, after the arrest of two suspected ISIS terrorists on the small hours of Friday from a hotel in the beach town of Digha in East Midnapore.
Tearing into claims made by Bengal Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari that the State had become a safe haven for terrorists the Chief Minister who was addressing a rally at Dinhata in Cooch Behar district of North Bengal said, “some people are spreading canards about Bengal calling it a terror hub … they have no right to insult us like that because it is the Bengal Police that has within two hours of getting the information from the central agencies got the terrorists arrested.”
Slamming the BJP for giving her State a bad name Banerjee the two persons arrested from Digha were not the residents of Bengal and “they were just hiding here.” She asked, “what about the situation in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh? … Is U.P safe? Is Rajasthan safe? Is Bihar safe?”
Her Cabinet colleague Shashi Panja reminded how the National Investigation Agency which conducted the search-and-nab operations with the assistance of the State police saying, “even the NIA in its press release has praised the Bengal Police for its good job and here are some people who for political reasons are trying to malign the Government.”
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh too jumped into the arena pulling punches at Adhikari reminding him that Digha was a beach town in Kanthi sub-division of East Midnapore which was a stronghold of the Adhikaris and the BJP.
“Who is the MP of Kanthi? And where do these people who are making such remarks live? Is it not Kanthi? So why should not they be hauled up for harbouring criminals in their district … it is for the BJP to answer for whatever that happens in East Midnapore,” he said demanding “a thorough investigation into the matter including is there were local help being given to the terrorists.”
Earlier Adhikari said that in Mamata Banerjee’s rule “Bengal has become a free zone for international terrorists who use the State and Kolkata as a transit point … earlier we have seen how the Punjab Police came all the way to Kolkata to arrest international terrorists who were hiding here … then we saw Bangladeshi criminals charged with the assassination of Banga Bandhu Miujibur Rehman getting arrested from here … so it can be safely said that Bengal is fast becoming a safe haven for terrorists
Referring to a post from BJP leader Amit Malavya where he attacked the State Government for allowing Bengal to become a “safe haven for terrorists,” the Bengal Police claimed “the two accused had been arrested after a joint operation involving themselves and central intelligence agencies. The proactive role of West Bengal Police... has been officially acknowledged by the central agencies. West Bengal has NEVER been a safe haven for terrorists and the state police will continue to remain ever-vigilant.”
Meanwhile, carrying forward her attack against the Centre for depriving the State and using central agencies to browbeat the opposition the Chief Minister said that without the ED and CBI BJP will not be able to walk a single step.
“They have become fearful of impending defeat and so they are sending Agencies to arrest the Opposition leaders and depriving the States that are refusing to submit before them of their rightful funds … but the people are preparing to give a befitting reply” and the BJP will not return to power this time round.
