Bengal bomb attack triggers political row
KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said the bomb attack on state minister Jakir Hossain was part of a “conspiracy”, accusing some people of putting “pressure” on him to switch over to another party ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
“It was a planned attack on minister Jakir Hossain…some people were pressuring Jakir Hossain to join them for the last few months. I don’t want to disclose anything more as investigation is on,” Banerjee told reporters after visiting the SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, where the 50-year-old minister is undergoing treatment.
Though she did not elaborate, the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of carrying out the attack immediately after the incident in Murshidabad district on Wednesday night. The BJP maintained that the incident could be a result of infighting in the TMC.
On Thursday, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar backed a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Separately Union home minister Amit Shah stepped up his offensive on the TMC at an election rally in Namkhana in South 24-Parganas district, accusing it of corruption and promising an inquiry into what he said was siphoning of funds meant for relief work in the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan that battered Bengal last May.
The TMC’S reply was swift. It came from a counter-rally --attended by both chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee --- in the Pailan area in the same district. CM Banerjee launched a spirited defence of her nephew, who is facing the BJP’S criticism heat over alleged corruption, even as the political rhetoric turned into personal attacks. It was the first time that she defended Abhishek from the dais in the run-up to the elections slated for April-may.