KOLKATA, Jan 2: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Border Security Force of letting infiltrators from Bangladesh enter India and charged the BSF with trying to destabilise the state.
Stating that she could sense a “blueprint of the central government behind this attitude of the BSF”, Banerjee also accused a section of district magistrates and SPs of helping the border guards in their illegal act.
“We have got information that the BSF is letting infiltrators enter India through Islampur, Sitai, Chopra and several other bordering areas. The BSF is also torturing women and trying to destabilise the state,” she said at an administrative review meeting at the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’.
“Border security is not our responsibility and BSF looks after this. Visa is not our matter but that of the central government. We used to get the list of who were taking flights to come here, but now it has been stopped. So, we do not know who all are coming,” she said.
The Trinamool Congress supremo claimed that it was a conspiracy to blame the TMC for the infiltration issue.
“If someone thinks of destabilising the state and blaming it on the Trinamool Congress, I would say that it is not done by TMC as (border) areas are controlled by the BSF and not by the TMC. Some media channels are trying to spread this for the sake of their TRP,” she said.
Banerjee also alleged that goons are entering the state from across the border, killing people and going back.
“This is a deep-rooted conspiracy of the BSF and the central government has a blueprint for it. If there was no blueprint of the Centre, it would not have happened,” she said.
Emphasising that West Bengal has been sharing a cordial relationship with Bangladesh, Banerjee went on to say that people could come to the state for treatment as she is keen to have peace on both sides of the international border.
“There is no bad relationship between the two Bengals (West Bengal and Bangladesh). We speak the same language and we follow a similar way of lifestyle. People across the border can come here for treatment. But we should be informed,” she stated.
The CM asserted that she had told the Centre several times that she would follow whatever decision it would take on the situation in Bangladesh.
“But if I see that someone is helping terrorism to disturb my state, we will have to protest,” Banerjee said adding that she would send a strongly worded letter to the Centre in this regard.
“But why didn’t you people (DM, SPs) protest this act of the BSF? I will ask DGP Rajeev Kumar to find out through which spots they had entered the state and where these people stay. The police get information of infiltrations. But (a section of) the DMs and SPs have not shared any information with us. They have not carried out their responsibility properly,” Banerjee said.
The Bengal CM directed the DGP to share a detailed report on the matter as she has planned to send a protest letter to the Centre.
“Rajeev Kumar has shared some information and also some inputs from the locals. But I want detailed information on this to understand why this is being done. I will be writing a strong letter (to the Centre). I want to have peace on both sides of the border,” she said. (Agencies)
