West Bengal unrest: Congress backs Mamata's claims against Centre

New Delhi [India] July 9 (ANI): The Congress Party on Sunday backed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claims that the Central Government is not cooperating in quelling the unrest in North Parganas' Basirhat district, stating that only a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state is taken care of and not others.

Speaking to ANI, Congress leader Raju Waghmare said, "If you look into the current situation and see how Bengal is burning while Centre is only acting like a spectator. Mamata Banerjee is absolutely right; only a state is ruled by BJP gets special benefits and treatment, but the rest are left out or abandoned and this is happening now in North Parganas' Basirhat district."

Advising the Centre to act promptly over the West Bengal unrest, the grand old party stated that rather than condemning Mamata, they should come out and support her.

"The Centre is not putting any efforts to look into their worries or problems or acting promptly to solve their problems but rather condemning her on her rule. I request the Centre to look into the matter and not behave in a different way but act as a family," Waghmare said.

Yesterday, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that at least four companies of the Border Security Forces (BSF) forces that were deployed by the Centre were turned back by the West Bengal Government. According to the sources, the Centre had already sent 11 companies of personnel to Darjeeling to quell the unrest taken out by people demanding a separate Gorkhaland.

Hours before, Mamata accused Centre of creating tension in the state. She alleged that there was non-cooperation from the Centre to curb violence in the state.

Mamata further said that that the forces were not deployed on time, which further flared up violence around the West Bengal border.

The MHA sources further claimed that the state government has also not sent the sought detailed report on the Basirhat incident and this is causing a delay to convene a review security meeting.

The MHA already has huge commitments and has deployed forces in Jammu and Kashmir for the Amarnath yatra to circumvent terrorist attacks, tackle stone pelting, and also in the North-Eastern border of the country, the sources added.

In the press conference, Mamata asserted that they would conduct a judicial inquirty to probe the Basirhat incident.

"Action will be taken for spreading fake pictures and videos. The law will take its own course," she said.

Meanwhile, the North 24 Parganas Superintendent of Police (SP) Bhaskar Mukherjee has been removed and C. Sudharkar Rao will take over the post.

Violent clashes erupted in the Basirhat area of the district after a Class X student updated a controversial picture on Facebook.

The boy was later detained by police, but the violence hasn't abated.

Fresh tension was reported in Basirhat area days after too forcing the police to lob tear gas shells and resort to baton charge even as the state government decided to ban some organisations for allegedly instigating people. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI