Without naming Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Banerjee termed him as an “acting prime minister.””I have seen 10-12 PMs in my life. I had worked with them. As an MP, I have seen all of them from close quarters. I am not talking about the PM now, but the ‘acting PM’ (Amit Shah). Who is the acting PM? I do not know, but I was told by a few students. Perhaps the BJP can answer who he is. I will tell him (acting PM), take care of the borders, instead of creating communal tension and nuisance. Try to be honest, sincere, reasonable, and responsible,” the TMC supremo said.Last month, the CM had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rein in the home minister, accusing him of harming the nation for his political gains.She also reminded the Centre of its constitutional duty to maintain unity and peace.”When you are in the chair, you cannot divide the people. May there be peace, harmony, and unity. I came here to meet the victims’ families, but it is not their fault. Why have they been hidden? I will have this question. Does this mean, ‘Daal mein kuch kaala hai’?” she asked.Three people, including a man and his son, were killed in the Murshidabad riots.She had accused the BSF, central agencies under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and the BJP of “engineering unrest by facilitating the entry of outsiders and enabling cross-border influx from Bangladesh”.Banerjee also alleged that the families of victims in the Murshidabad riots were “forcibly taken away” to stop her from meeting them.”I would have gone to their houses (referring to the Jafrabad father-son murder case), but the BJP took away the families of the two victims. Is this not kidnapping? What harm would it have caused had I met them and handed over cheques?” she asked.The chief minister alleged that individuals who had provoked the unrest were being “protected by the BJP”.”Some outsiders and a few religious leaders are trying to incite violence and animosity among communities. They take political advantage and escape. They are irreligious leaders. They are not my friends. They are enemies of Murshidabad and Bengal,” she claimed.Asserting that she was not blaming any community, Banerjee said she had listened to people from both Hindu and Muslim communities.”I have heard both sides, Hindus and Muslims. The chief secretary and DGP were with me. We discussed the communal issue. I won’t blame any community. Some are pretending to be religious leaders and causing harm,” she said.Banerjee noted that violence had been confined to only two municipal wards.”I have cross-checked who facilitated this and how they planned it. There are many ‘Godi media’ houses, sorry to use the word, but they are consuming what is being fed and provoking people,” she alleged.Banerjee also criticised the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for its alleged selective promptness.”Did the NHRC go to Manipur, which is under the President’s Rule? Did they visit UP, Rajasthan, Bihar, or Odisha? Why were they so quick to come to Murshidabad?… It was pre-planned,” she said.”If this was not planned, how did NHRC and BJP leaders reach here so fast?” she asked.Banerjee alleged that some local religious figures, who have political links and central protections, had played a central role in fomenting the unrest in areas such as Beldanga, Suti, and Dhulian.Slamming the BJP for “politicising” the Murshidabad violence, Banerjee said, “You (BJP) have used the victims’ families to abuse me. It doesn’t affect me.”She reiterated her respect for Bharat Sevashram Sangha’s Dilip Maharaj but urged the media to probe allegations of communal provocation.Taking a jibe at the BJP’s online campaigns targeting her Hindi, she claimed, “They are ‘chupa rustams’. If I make a mistake in Hindi, they make reels to mock me.”Reacting to Banerjee’s allegation, West Bengal BJP leader Sajal Ghosh said it is the TMC government in the state, which has been “spreading the communal virus to pursue its appeasement politics.”
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