Bengaluru: BJP general secretary Ram Madhav on Sunday hit out at West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee saying the current unrest in her state was “a home-grown project” of the ruling Trinamul Congress for “political advantage”.
He also said cow protection was a “sacred mission” but people must understand that they cannot lynch anybody under the pretext of protecting it as “life was more sacred”. Delivering a speech on “Integral Humanism - eternal and ever contemporary”, organised by a group — “Awareness in Action” — here, Mr Madhav said, “Today, if you see the unrest in Bengal, it is actually a home-grown project of Mamata Banerjee, because in unrest lies her political advantage.” “Does it really pain you (Banerjee) that in your state on one hand Gorkha people are agitating, you don’t listen to them and on the other hand there are communal riots?” he asked.
“You only blame others, you have no answer to it,” Mr Madhav said. Ms Banerjee had on Saturday accused the Modi government and the BJP of trying to “disturb peace” and “deliberate and total non-cooperation”. She had alleged that the Centre’s refusal to send CRPF personnel, as demanded by the state government, had led to the current situation in the Darjeeling, where the indefinite shutdown entered its 25th day on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Mr Madhav said the Trinamul Congress was “squarely responsible” for the “grave” law-and-order situation in West Bengal. On the issue of cow protection, Mr Madhav said for Indians everything was sacred. “We are a worship-centric society, but the country has to understand this sacredness properly... Cow is sacred, cow protection is sacred, but remember life is the most sacred thing,” he said, adding the sacredness of cow was to be protected, but one cannot spoil the “sacredness of life”.
“You cannot lynch anybody in the name of protecting something,” the BJP leader said. To a question about China reportedly denying VISAs for a scheduled trip of the India Foundation, a think tank with links to the BJP, Mr Madhav said it had been settled and the delegation was going there as scheduled. On China issuing advisory to its people visiting to India, he said, “Those issues will be handled at a diplomatic level by our government. Everything will be sorted out.”
Amid bilateral tensions over the Sikkim standoff, China had on Saturday issued an advisory for its citizens travelling to India, asking them to take necessary precautions for their personal safety.
