Union minister Giriraj Singh on Tuesday demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of trying to influence the probe into the horrific rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata.
Singh was talking to reporters in Begusarai, his Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar.
"Mamata Banerjee should be ashamed of the incident which was more ghastly than even the infamous Nirbhaya gang rape that took place in Delhi years ago," he said.
The senior BJP leader alleged that the person arrested for the crime was "a dummy" and that real culprits were being shielded on account of their close proximity to Trinamool Congress, which is headed by Banerjee.
"As such, people from various walks of life, not just politics, have voiced their distrust in the investigation so far which has been seriously compromised on account of Banerjee being in power," alleged Singh.
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"Mamata Banerjee should, therefore, give up the CM's post and let West Bengal be under the rule of the governor till the probe is complete. She should resign on her own and not wait till she is asked to do so by the Centre," he added.
Singh, who is widely perceived to be a Hindutva hardliner, also trained his guns at Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav for "belatedly" raising concerns over the persecution of minorities in Bangladesh.
"They took so many weeks to come out with social media posts on the issue just because the matter concerned Hindus. The 'tukde tukde' gang has been always more worried about Rohingyas," said the BJP leader.
He also raked up the police firing that took place decades ago in Ayodhya when the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation was at its peak and Yadav's late father Mulayam Singh Yadav was the CM of Uttar Pradesh.
"Akhilesh Yadav belongs to a lineage that practices politics on the blood of Ram Sevaks. Elements like these are to be blamed for the plight of Sanatan Dharma followers," rued Singh.
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