SUVENDU MEETS SHAH, NADDA TO DISCUSS POLL VIOLENCE IN STATE
KOLKATA: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator and leader of opposition in West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Tuesday met Union home minister Amit Shah and party chief JP Nadda in Delhi to discuss post-poll violence in the eastern state. “I personally feel that the situation in Bengal is much worse than what is required to enforce Article 356. However, our party has not taken a formal stand on this issue yet. Wait and see,” said Adhikari, who is slated to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
Under Article 356 of the Constitution of India, in the event that a state government is unable to function according to Constitutional provisions, the Union government can take direct control of the state machinery. The TMC claimed that Adhikari’s meeting with the Union minister and top BJP leaders in Delhi was to save himself from CBI prosecution in the Narada sting tapes case. “Bogey of President’s Rule being raised in Bengal even by Tarpaulin Thief to divert attention. HIS MASTER’S VOICE !” TMC leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy tweeted.
TMC turncoat skips BJP meeting
Meanwhile, BJP leader Rajib Banerjee on Tuesday skipped a crucial meeting of office bearers called by state president Dilip Ghosh, triggering speculations about rising dissent in the party. Taking to social media, Banerjee, who quit the TMC to join the BJP but lost the polls from Domjur seat, said the “people will not take kindly to threats of President’s rule” against a government elected with a huge mandate.