Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday reacted sharply to his Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee's remark issuing a warning over law and order situation in other parts of the country after massive protests hit the state following the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata's R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.
"Modi babu, if you use your people to burn Bengal, the violence unleashed by BJP will have a domino effect on Assam, northeast, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and even Delhi. It can affect your seat of power too," Banerjee said at a Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) foundation day rally earlier on Wednesday.
She had also said that the party's slogan "badla noy, badal chai" needed to be updated given the changing times and situations.
Sarma took to X where he shared a clip from Banerjee's speech and said, "Didi, how dare you threaten Assam? Don't show us red eyes. Don't even try to burn India with your politics of failure. It does not suit you to speak divisive language."
दीदी, आपकी हिम्मत कैसे हुई असम को धमकाने की? हमें लाल आंखें मत दिखाइए। आपकी असफलता की राजनीति से भारत को जलाने की कोशिश भी मत कीजिए। आपको विभाजनकारी भाषा बोलना शोभा नहीं देता।
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 28, 2024
দিদি, আপনার এতো সাহস কীভাবে হলো যে আপনি অসমকে ধমকি দিচ্ছেন? আমাদের রক্তচক্ষু দেখাবেন না। আপনার অসফলতার… pic.twitter.com/k194lajS8s
The saffron party leaders, after the TMC supremo's speech went viral, accused her of making provocative statements.
BJP state president and Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar condemned Banerjee’s remarks as unprecedented and threatening and shot off a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah stating that Banerjee "no longer deserves to hold such an important position".
He said Banerjee’s comments could incite TMC supporters to take the law into their own hands and attack opposition members, thereby stifling democratic dissent.
Sporadic instances of violence marked the BJP-sponsored 12-hour shutdown in West Bengal on Wednesday which had a mixed impact in the wake of bandh supporters clashing with the police and ruling Trinamool Congress workers at several pockets of the state.
The most significant of these clashes was reported from Bhatpara in North 24 Parganas district where the BJP alleged that TMC goons fired multiple rounds on its local leader Priyangu Pandey’s car and shared a purported video of the crime on social media platforms.
With PTI inputs