Congress demands imposition of Article 355 in West Bengal over law and order situation

West Bengal PCC president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday demanded imposition of Article 355 in the state alleging collapse of law and order under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s rule.

Chowdhury was leading a ‘padayatra’ from Kadamtala in Howrah to Esplanade area in the heart of the city demanding an impartial and fair investigation into the mysterious death of student leader Anis Khan in February.

"One after another incident is taking place in West Bengal. Student leader Anis Khan was pushed down from the third floor of his house and a state-managed probe is taking place shielding the real conspirators.

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“Then this barbaric incident at Rampurhat in Birbhum district where eight people, including women and children, were burnt to death. Our councillor in Jhalda Municipality Tapan Kandu was killed from point-blank range but there has not been any proper investigation. All these incidents point towards the virtual collapse of law and order in the state and the complicity of ruling TMC," the Baharampur MP claimed.

Under these circumstances, the grand old party was in favour of promulgation of Article 355 in West Bengal where the ruling party Trinamool Congress and 'Police Mantri’ (the Minister looking after law and order) Mamata Banerjee have “miserably failed to control the situation”, Chowdhury, also Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, told reporters.

Article 355 of the Constitution deals with an emergency provision by which the Centre can intervene and protect a state against external aggression or internal disturbance.

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Chowdhury also took a dig at the BJP for the “silence of its central leadership” regarding the issue of imposition of Article 355" in West Bengal and hinted at a secret understanding between the governments at the state and the Centre.

To another question, the MP said the issue of the hike in fuel price several times after the assembly election in five states will be raised in Parliament.

The Congress leader had written to President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday urging him to invoke Article 355 in West Bengal to ensure that the state government functions in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

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