By Dipaneeta Das: BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying the condition of the state is “worse than Afghanistan” under her governance.
“The condition of West Bengal is worse than Afghanistan under this regime. CM Mamata Banerjee’s party, Trinamool Congress, has turned into a hub of anti-social elements. She included them hoping to win elections. Now, they are demanding tickets. They will create a ruckus. It is only rational because they help TMC to get the votes,” Dilip Ghosh said at a press meet in Kharagpur.
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Speaking about the unrest during ballot voting on the sidelines of the TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s Jan Sanjog Yatra in Coochbehar, Ghosh highlighted that it is in Bengal where the ruling party is facing such a chaotic public meeting.
“Abhishek Banerjee is following the BJP. Going to districts and visiting temples is something that BJP leaders do before they meet public. Now, he has received backlash while trying to follow us,” Ghosh claimed.
“How can one expect panchayat elections to be peaceful after what happened in Coochbehar,” said Ghosh, referring to the 2021 post-poll violence.
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Calling the Bengal police “incompetent”, Ghosh alleged that the police were “incapable of ensuring a peaceful election in the state. It is now pertinent that the state hands over overseeing arrangements of public rallies to the central forces.”
In a bitter reference to the alleged rape-murder in North Dinajpur and Malda districts of Bengal, Ghosh said, “The administration must hand over investigations to central forces so that our women are safe.” He further stated: “The state police refuses to lodge FIRs, lathi charges on protestors demanding justice. Is this how the administration of a state must be?”
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This is not the first time Dilip Ghosh has compared Bengal to Taliban-run Afghanistan. In April 2023, Ghosh criticized the Bengal government after the violent Ram Navami clashes. “Bengal has become like Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Hindus will be mobbed if they leave their homes. The current government does not have the capacity to manage law and order of the state and they are passing the blame onto others,” Ghosh said.
(With inputs from Sajahan Ali)
