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Amit Shah Claims Demand For Presidential Rule In West Bengal 'Just'; TMC Leaders Say 'Look At UP First'

Home minister Amit Shah claimed that the BJP would form government in West Bengal after the elections.
Home minister Amit Shah in a file photo.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Home minister Amit Shah in a file photo.

Amit Shah spoke at length about West Bengal in his interview with CNN-News18 and claimed BJP leaders asking for President’s rule in the state was a “just” demand and that the BJP would come to power in the state in the 2021 assembly polls.

In the exclusive interview with CNN-News18′s Rahul Joshi, Shah said, “I accept that the law and order situation is bad in West Bengal. As far as the Indian government is concerned in taking decisions to impose President’s Rule, we have to look at it through the Indian Constitution and after going through the report of Governor ‘sahab’.”

Shah claimed the situation in West Bengal was so bad that it was wajib or just for leaders in the state to demand president’s rule.

The BJP has accused the TMC of “political killings” of its workers in the state. It is one of BJP’s accusations against the Mamata Banerjee government. The BJP has constantly said that “law and order” in Bengal was at it’s worst under the TMC government.

“We will give our best (during the polls) and I am hopeful there will be ‘parivartan’ (change) in West Bengal. Under the leadership of Narendra Modi, the BJP is going to form the next government,” Shah told CNN-News18.

Trinamool Congress members were quick to hit back at Shah, saying it must look at Uttar Pradesh — where the Yogi Adtiyanath government has come under scrutiny for law and order — before making remarks on West Bengal.

Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien said in statement on Saturday:

“Firstly, rumours are rife over Amit Shah Ji’s health. Here is wishing he gets well soon.

Now to his views on political killings, in their desperation to increase the death count, the BJP is now trying to pass off even TB or a cancer death as a “political killing”. Why doesn’t he first address the huge infighting in his Bengal unit? He should study the history of Bengal under CPM to understand how far the state has come.”

Other TMC leaders also hit out at Shah. TMC’s Saugato Roy was quoted by PTI as saying, “He is not aware of the ground situation in the state. In Uttar Pradesh, the rule of law has ceased to exist, but he has nothing to say about it. He is making statements that are not only misplaced and baseless but also politically motivated”.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.