 "Malda violence: BJP delegation meets Prez, slams Mamata govt")
The party accused the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal of promoting vote bank politics by protecting those involved in Malda violence and said that it posed a threat to national security.
A BJP delegation, led by party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and other central and state leaders, met President Pranab Mukherjee and submitted a memorandum.
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The party alleged inaction on part of the state government on the Malda violence and claimed that the TMC government's policy of 'appeasement and vote bank' politics posed a threat to national security. They also raised the issue of violence in Birbhum in West Bengal.
The delegation also presented another memorandum to the President on the inaction on the part of WB government in arresting the accused in the hit-and-run case involving the son of a TMC leader who killed an Air Force jawan while he was rehearsing for the Republic Day parade in Kolkata.
"The Malda incident is linked to the country's internal security... This vote bank politics poses a threat to internal security as the same mob also raised pro-Pakistan slogans. That is why we have requested the President to seek his own report from the Governor and the report sought by the central government from the state will help stop the threat caused to the country's internal security," Vijayvargiya told reporters after meeting the President.
He added that BJP is pained to know the West Bengal chief minister saying people had problems with BSF and that is why the violence took place.
"Why was the police station burnt? The reality is that it was burnt as all those leading that violent clash are linked with fake currency and opium cultivation and are anti-social elements who burnt the police station to put an end to their criminal activities.
"Unfortunately, all those are being protected by Mamata Banerjee. A number of TMC leaders are involved in such activities and there is vote bank politics played there. The minority community there is somewhere linked in all these three incidents and due to this vote bank politics, the West Bengal chief minister is not acting against them," he added.
BJP Secretary Siddhharth Nath Singh and WB BJP President Dilip Ghosh and former state president Rahul Sinha were also part of the delegation.
The memorandum to President said: "TMC government wishes to brush the entire macabre fest under the carpet but BJP strongly believes that national interest cannot be traded for appeasement politics and therefore we request your good office to seek a detail report from the Hon'ble Governor of West Bengal."
It further said under communal overtone the operation covertly had a larger planned conspiracy to hit the very roots of India's national security. Malda, the BJP memorandum said, is well known for fake currency rackets and drug trading across the border and the NIA had been actively investigating the anti-national operations taking place at Malda.
"It is understood that dossiers of key criminals were prepared and were kept at Kaliachak police station. As the police in Bengal are not allowed to act against the minority community due to the TMC government's politics of appeasement, it can be safely inferred that the target was to destroy the records rather than a fight between the locals and BSF. This cocktail promotes anti-social elements from across the border and jeopardises India's internal security," it said.
"We wish to bring to your notice that the vote bank politics being practised by the TMC government is breaking the secular fabric of the state. The appeasement of minorities by the state government for votes is encouraging anti-social activities, which in turn are creating law and order problems," the memorandum said.
The BJP leaders said large-scale infiltration happens in West Bengal because of its porous border and since the state government's approach is soft, they settle in the state illegally by even getting ration cards. The refugees are harassed by the local administration.
"The Supreme Court of India had termed illegal immigration as silent invasion on India. Apart from creating demographic imbalances it also promotes anti-social activities like drug/cattle smuggling, fake currency racket and child/women trafficking," the memorandum said.