Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 14 : West Bengal Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Monday demanded that elections be held under President's Rule in areas where Hindus are in the minority, citing concerns over voting rights after the Murshidabad violence.
He also called for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the violence, labeling it as "anti-national activities."
Adhikari has petitioned the Calcutta High Court, seeking the deployment of central forces in Murshidabad due to escalating violence. The violence erupted over protests against the Waqf Amendment Act, resulting in three deaths and multiple injuries.
Speaking to ANI, he said, "I have this in my petition that after such explosions and firing incidents, the NIA should investigate (in Murshidabad) as these are anti-national activities... Wherever Hindus are in the minority, they don't let Hindus vote, and hence, the Elections must be held under president rule for the sake of democracy..."
The BJP accuses the TMC government of inaction and appeasement, while the TMC accuses the BJP of stoking communal tension.
Earlier today, Union Minister and West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar launched a scathing attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government and stated that once the BJP forms the government in the state, strict actions will be taken against the perpetrators of the Murshidabad violence.
"The situation has improved a bit (in Murshidabad) after the deployment of central forces, but the situation is still not such that Hindus can live freely with their heads held high. People who fled from the Murshidabad district and went to Malda as refugees are still not ready to return," Majumdar said.
He further said that West Bengal has become a lighter version of "Bangladesh".
"Hindus of Bengal have understood that Mamata Banerjee has succeeded in making West Bengal a light version of Bangladesh," he said.
West Bengal Police have arrested 150 individuals in connection with the Murshidabad violence. According to a police statement, adequate police forces have been deployed in Samserganj, Dhuliyan, Suti, and other affected areas to maintain order.
BJP MP from Purulia Jyotirmay Singh Mahato has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal, citing a deteriorating security situation and alleging targeted violence against the Hindu community.
On Saturday, a special bench of the Calcutta High Court ordered the deployment of central forces "immediately" in Murshidabad in the wake of widespread violence in the district during the protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act that resulted in three deaths so far.