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Written by Deeptiman Tiwary
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Updated: December 11, 2020 1:04:30 pm
A vehicle in J P Nadda's convoy damaged during stone pelting. (Photo: PTI)The tussle between Mamata Banerjee government and Centre over attack on BJP President JP Nadda’s convoy escalated further on Friday with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) summoning chief secretary and police chief of the state to discuss West Bengal’s law and order situation.
The two were summoned on the basis of a report West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar sent to the Centre on Friday morning about the law and order situation in the state. Sources said the chief secretary and the DGP of West Bengal have been asked to be present at North Block in Delhi for a meeting on state’s law and order situation on Monday.
“The governor has sent his report which has details of the attack on the convoy of JP Nadda and how it transpired despite the chief secretary and DGP being alerted about security needs of the visit. It has also painted a grim picture of law and order situation in the state. To discuss these issues, the chief secretary and the DGP have been summoned,” a home ministry official said.
J P Nadda at the event in Diamond Harbour on Thursday. (Express Photo: Partha Paul)
He added that they have also been summoned as they did not respond to Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla’s Thursday letter where he had sought a report on the attack on Nadda’s convoy.
Nadda’s convoy was allegedly attacked with stones and bricks while on its way to Diamond Harbour in Kolkata on Thursday. Several cars in the convoy, including that of BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, were damaged in the attack. About ten BJP leaders, including Vijayvargiya and Mukul Roy, received minor injuries.
Following the attack, the Centre sought a report from West Bengal government on the attack. It had also sought a report from West Bengal governor on the law and order situation in the state.
Governor slams Mamata
Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the attack on Nadda’s convoy calling it a “slur on democratic fabric”. Expressing concern over the law and order situation in the state, Dhankhar said, “The Chief Minister has to follow the Constitution. She cannot depart from its paths. The law and order situation in the state has been continuously worsening for long.” “The events that happened yesterday are most unfortunate. They are a slur on our democratic fabric.” .
He also asked the chief minister to apologise for her comments mocking Nadda.
Sharing a video of Banerjee where she is heard commenting on the Nadda’s visit and the incidents that followed, Dhankhar urged her to “apologetically” withdraw the remark that “outrages essence and sublimity of Bengal’s rich culture”. “I urge Chief Minister @MamataOfficial to engage in deep reflection and apologetically withdraw this video comment that outrages essence and sublimity of Bengal’s rich culture,” he tweeted.
I urge Chief Minister @MamataOfficial to engage in deep reflection and apologetically withdraw this video comment that outrages essence and sublimity of Bengal’s rich culture. pic.twitter.com/HL8dcyBqaa
— Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) December 10, 2020
In the clip shared by Dhankhar, Banerjee appears to be miffed by the top brass of BJP frequenting the state ahead of 2021 assembly elections. Mocking Nadda, she says, “Everyday some chadda, gadda, fadda, badda, bhadda… are all coming together. Only they will do their programmes, (so that) nobody else can. And if on those days, their events draw less crowd… they create such drama to get featured in the national news, and say we did all these…”
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd