Union minister Sukanta Majumdar demands Mamata's resignation over attack on BJP lawmakers

Kolkata, Oct 8 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar on Wednesday claimed that the October 6 attack on his party leaders in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district was a "pre-planned murder attempt" and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly failing to maintain law and order.

Majumdar, who is the Union minister of state for education, also sought a CBI probe into the incident at Nagrakata, where MP Khagen Murmu and MLA Sankar Ghosh were attacked by a mob during a visit to the flood-hit area.

"Mamata Banerjee failed to maintain law and order. She has no right to continue as the chief minister, and she must resign," said the BJP leader.

He claimed that the attack on his party's legislators was to silence the voice of protest.

"Going by the nature of the attack on our leaders, and considering that not a single arrest has been made in the past two days, it is clear that it was a pre-planned murder attempt. We don't have faith in the state police. There has to be a probe by a central agency like the CBI," Majumdar, former state BJP president, told reporters while touring flood- and landslide-hit areas of north Bengal.

He also claimed that several other BJP workers accompanying Murmu and Ghosh were attacked at Nagrakata.

"But the severity of their injuries did not come to light as they were not admitted to hospital and are recuperating at home," he said, alleging the attack was aided by local TMC panchayat pradhans.

"Law and order is within the domain of the state. But when there is no action on the part of state administration to prosecute the TMC-sheltered offenders, we have to seek a CBI probe by moving the high court," the Union minister added.

Earlier, the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya had also demanded a probe by central agencies into the attack, claiming that the state investigators were shielding the real culprits due to their proximity to the ruling party.

Majumdar also alleged that the administration was selectively distributing relief materials among TMC activists and supporters in flood-hit Nagrakata and other parts of north Bengal while depriving opposition BJP sympathisers in the area.

"This state government has failed to provide relief to people. The CM came to the region, but did nothing to mitigate people's miseries," he said.

Claiming that the Centre allocated Rs 6,000 crore for north Bengal, he alleged that the TMC administration had failed to utilise the amount and kept on blaming the Centre.

Majumdar later visited Murmu at the hospital and told reporters the CM's comments after meeting the injured BJP MP was "irresponsible to say the least." "She had asked how Murmu was subjected to such attack as the area is a BJP stronghold. Is she acting in a self-deceptive manner? Or is she abdicating the responsibility of the state police and administration? I caution the TMC, if there is no arrest of those involved in the attack by today, BJP workers will respond in a way the TMC understands. But we will do that peacefully," he said.

The BJP leader said the condition of Murmu is serious, though improving.

Murmu had received deep gashes just under his eyes and he is not in a condition to speak, and "we are praying for his quick and safe recovery," Majumdar added.

Responding to Majumdar's accusations, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh has accused the BJP of politicising the incident, saying the attack involved "aggrieved villagers protesting the withholding of funds for 100 days' work by the BJP-led government at the Centre." He added that the TMC had no role in the attack, which had already been condemned by the party, and noted that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had visited Murmu in a Siliguri hospital. PTI SUS MNB NN