West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused recent violence over the Waqf law of being “planned,” holding Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Border Security Force (BSF) guilty of conspiring to allow Bangladeshi miscreants to create disturbances in the state. During an interaction with Muslim clerics in Kolkata, the Trinamool Congress chief emphasized her party’s resolve to resist the Waqf law and called for peaceful protests.
Banerjee urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step in, alleging Shah is using the deployment of state agencies to conjure plots against her party. “What would happen when Modi ji will not be here?” she asked, expressing concerns about the circumstances Shah’s actions are leading to.
This is yet another instance of Banerjee finger-pointing towards Amit Shah but indirectly towards Modi. In 2022, she had already indicated her view that the Prime Minister was not answerable for misuse of investigative agencies, emphasizing the latter’s responsibility to the Home Ministry.
The Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas district violence resulted in three fatalities and dozens of injuries while protesting against the Waqf act. Two of the victims were a father-son pair who were brutally attacked by a mob at Samsherganj. In retaliation, the state government directed an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh to the deceased’s families.
Preliminary probes have shown the participation of Bangladeshi mischief-mongers, as per reports to the Union Home Ministry. The clash occurred in districts bordering Bangladesh, leading to a question in Banerjee’s mind on the efficacy of the BSF in guarding the border. “If the Home Ministry says that Bangladesh is involved, the Centre is responsible. Why did not the BSF stop this crisis?” she inquired.
Referring to the Waqf law as part of the BJP’s “divide and rule policy,” Banerjee cautioned against the party’s polarization attempts. “Protest peacefully. The BJP can attempt to create tensions, but imams must take care that there is no division of Hindus and Muslims,” she urged.
Banerjee dismissed BJP accusations that the Waqf violence involved the Trinamool Congress, insisting that if it had been implicated, its leadership would not have been attacked inside their homes.
As Banerjee was meeting Muslim clerics, the BJP organized Hindu Shaheed Diwas near the state Assembly to offer tributes to the victims of the violence. Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar took the opportunity to jeer at Banerjee after she wrongly said that West Bengal is bordered by Sri Lanka.
“Failed geography teacher & ex-West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee declares the state now shares borders with Sri Lanka! Adieu, maps — Didi’s imagination has reconfigured South Asia!” Majumdar posted on social media.
He continued to lash out at her, asking her about her knowledge of geography and blaming it on the education crisis of the state. “In Mamata’s Bengal, facts are optional, logic is missing, and incompetence is a qualification,” he summed up.
