‘Nadda Accompanied by Armed Men of BJP’: TMC MP on Convoy Attack

Kalyan Banerjee accused the Centre of having “malice” and called the state’s governor a “conduit pipe of the BJP”.

BJP President JP Nadda was accompanied by criminal and armed men of BJP, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee told the media on Friday, 11 December, a day after the former's convoy was allegedly attacked with stones and bricks, while on the way to Diamond Harbour in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district.

Banerjee claimed that a BJP leader, named Rakesh Singh – with "55 criminal cases against him" – was in a convoy in front of Nadda and "made provocative gestures at the crowd", adding that an FIR has been filed against him, reported NDTV.

Calling the Union Home Ministry's move to summon the state chief secretary and the DGP "interference in the federal structure", the TMC MP said, "What the Centre is doing by sending a letter to the West Bengal government is unconstitutional."

‘Colourable Exercise of Power’

“State government is accountable to answer to the state Assembly. No other person can call for any explanation in respect of law and order situation, especially the central government. This is a violation of the Constitution. This is colourable exercise of power.”

Kalyan Banerjee, as quoted by ANI

He went on to accuse the central government of having "malice" and called the state's Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, a "conduit pipe of the BJP".

Later on Friday, the West Bengal government wrote to the home ministry saying that the chief secretary and the police chief will not be visiting Delhi on 14 December.

The MHA had summoned them to discuss the alleged attack and the law and order situation in the state, PTI reported.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI.)