Rajnath Singh teaches West Bengal CM ‘raj dharma’

Kolkata: Taking serious note of recent attacks on BJP offices and homes of BJP leaders, Union home minister Rajnath Singh has directed state BJP unit to register FIRs immediately in police stations while governor Kesari Nath Tripathi advised the state government to follow the raj dharma.

“Every state irrespective of its political affiliation should try to ensure peace in the state and maintain law and order,” Mr Tripathi said in reply to a question about law and order situation in the state. When asked to comment specifically on the current law and order situation in West Bengal, he said: “No comment.” When asked if he has sent a report to the Union home minister, Mr Tripathi evaded a direct reply. Although the governor very tactfully sought to remind the state government of its responsibilities, his advice did not please state education minister Partha Chatterjee. “ The BJP is misusing the office of the governor,” he said.  

State BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Thursday said that he received a call from Mr Singh on Wednesday night. “ He instructed me to file FIRs after every incident of vandalism and violence at BJP offices and send their copies to Union home secretary,” he said. When Mr Ghosh complained that many police stations refuse to lodge an FIR against ruling TMC workers, Mr Singh told him to write to the state home secretary about such refusals and send a copy of each letter to the Centre.

According to Mr Ghosh, Mr Singh was perturbed by the back-to-back attacks on BJP head office in the city and junior central minister Babul Supriyo’s north Kolkata home. The state BJP unit immediately followed Union home minister’s instruction. “ We have so far lodged 25 FIRs in different police stations,” Mr Ghosh said.  

National BJP secretary and former state party president Rahul Sinha, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Siddharth Nath Singh and Mr Supriyo met Rajnath Singh on Thursday afternoon in Delhi and apprised him of the ground realities prevailing in Bengal.

Mr Vijayvargia again reiterated his warning that the manner in which the law and order situation had been deteriorating in Bengal, the Centre may contemplate to use the option of President’s rule in the state.

“I wish to inform Mamata Banerjee that BJP workers in Delhi are extremely angry over the attacks on BJP offices and leaders’ homes in Bengal. If Delhi BJP workers tie the Trinamul Congress MPs with lamp posts then we should not be held responsible,” Mr Sinha said.

The Trinamul Congress-BJP relations has been continously deteriorating since November 9, when Mamata Banerjee launched her belligerent campaign against Prime Modi’s demonetisation drive. Already strained TMC-BJP relations nosedived following Sudip Bandopadhyay’s arrest by CBI on Tuesday in Rose Valley case. Accusing Mr Modi of indulging in political vendetta, Trinamul Congress workers laid a siege of BJP office in the city, tried to storm into Mr Supriyo’s house and vandalised several BJP offices in the districts.