Jawans paid with lives for Centre’s lapses: Mamata Banerjee

  • | Tuesday | 19th February, 2019

The game plan is to drive a wedge between communities to cause riots ahead of elections. KOLKATA: Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday questioned the timing of the Pulwama terror attack — “just after Parliament was over and weeks ahead of the polls” — in her most direct attack on the Narendra Modi government’s “lapses” and “neglect” that “put CRPF jawans in such a situation”. I am directing cops, right from the police station office-in-charge level, to tackle this malicious design with iron hands. Why has this happened just after Parliament is over and weeks ahead of polls?” she said, demanding “a serious probe” into the attack. Police should not stay reluctant or look the other way if a riot breaks out somewhere,” she said.

KOLKATA: Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday questioned the timing of the Pulwama terror attack — “just after Parliament was over and weeks ahead of the polls” — in her most direct attack on the Narendra Modi government’s “lapses” and “neglect” that “put CRPF jawans in such a situation”. She also accused BJP, RSS and VHP of trying to drive a wedge between communities in the state and urged citizens not to fall into the “provocative trap”.“Why did they put these jawans in such a situation in the first place?” she asked at a press conference at Nabanna on Monday. “From where does Pakistan get such encouragement? I have my suspicions. Why has this happened just after Parliament is over and weeks ahead of polls?” she said, demanding “a serious probe” into the attack. “I would like to ask how the Centre allowed Pakistan to do it. Why didn’t they take action against terrorists earlier?” Banerjee said.Alleging that the jawans had to pay with their lives in Pulwama for the government’s “lapses” and “neglect”, she said: “Doesn’t a citizen have the right to ask why the authorities flouted the standard operating procedure and sent more than 2,500 CRPF jawans in 78 vehicles despite there being an intelligence alert? Why didn’t the authorities sanitise the areas properly prior to the movement? Why didn’t the authorities pay heed to the CRPF when it had urged airlifting the jawans?”Jammu & Kashmir Police had sent intelligence inputs to CRPF and other defence units warning of a possible IED attack six days ahead of the Pulwama incident, Banerjee alleged.Banerjee said she had not raised all these questions till now because the opposition wanted to fight the battle against terrorism unitedly with the government. But she was forced to “break her silence” because PM Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah were making political speeches “when the PM should have put in his papers”, she added.“They are making political speeches, trying to pose as patriots and describing all of us as anti-nationals and extremists,” she added, expressing her concern over how anyone opposed to the RSS worldview was being branded “anti-national”.The Bengal CM warned the BJP, the RSS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad against “efforts to drive a wedge between communities”, when the country needed to stand together against the Pulwama terror attack, and asked cops to act against such efforts.“I have heard of incidents from Behala, Bongaon and Serampore, where BJP, RSS and VHP men from outside Bengal are trying to foment trouble,” she said. “Others are spreading rumours and fake news on social media. The game plan is to drive a wedge between communities to cause riots ahead of elections. Some people led a rally to a musical soiree organised by a community in Serampore. They are even hiring burkha-clad men and spreading rumours that these people are child-lifters,” she added.The CM appealed to citizens not to fall into the “provocative trap”. “I spoke to superintendents of police on Sunday. I am directing cops, right from the police station office-in-charge level, to tackle this malicious design with iron hands. Police should not stay reluctant or look the other way if a riot breaks out somewhere,” she said.

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