Birbhum: Union Minister of State for home Kiren Rijiju today accused the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal of running a ‘dictatorship’, alleging that it was misusing state power to ‘torture’ its political opponents.
The minister told reporters that the police in the state was acting under the pressure of politicians as was evident by the “fake cases” launched against his party leaders for carrying arms.
“In this state, the government is running a dictatorship,” Rijiju said. “The state administration has filed fake cases against party leaders. They didn’t carry unlicensed guns. Trishuls and swords are traditional and symbolic weapons. It is the religious right of the people. This is an instance of the misuse of power by the Trinamul Congress government,” he said.
When asked about cases lodged against BJP leaders for carrying arms during Ram Navami procession, Rijiju described the development as “very unfortunate”. Speaking at a party meet here in Birbhum district, Rijiju said that the police was being “misused” by the TMC government to “torture common people and political opponents”.
An FIR was lodged against West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh and other BJP leaders for taking out a rally with swords on the occasion of Ram Navami last Wednesday.
Rijiju also accused the TMC government of not being ‘sincere’ in implementing the central government’s welfare policies at a time when the chief minister accused the Centre of curtailing funds for central schemes.
“I have come here to see how the central government’s welfare policies are being implemented. What I found is that the state government is not at all sincere in running the welfare schemes,” he said.
The Birbhum district police refused to give permission to the BJP to hold rallies on April 11 on the occasion of “Bir Hanuman Jayanti”.
The district administration rejected the petition filed by the BJP’s district unit on March 31.
