Mamata Banerjee sparking 'fire everywhere', works for only 'one community': BJP

BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said that Mamata Banerje was running a "communal government" in West Bengal since it was supporting only one community. Adopting communal line as government policy, the chief minister is backing only one community and ignoring the other, Sinha alleged at a party meeting.

"She (Banerjee) is also sparking fire everywhere. She sets Darjeeling on fire and went to Netherlands. on return, she allows Baduria to burn," Sinha said at a party meeting here.

But the problem is she is not trying to douse the flames, the BJP leader said.

Even as the Darjeeling hills were in turbulence for nearly a month capped by an indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, a communal clash took place at Baduria in North 24-Parganas district, he said.

Sinha demanded resignation of the chief minister for her alleged failure to contain the situation in Darjeeling hills and Baduria.

The chief minister was not allowing anyone to go near Basirhat, he said.

The administration today stopped teams of Left Front, Congress and BJP from visiting the riot-hit places. "She is no allowing anyone to go there fearing that her failure (to contain the situation) would be exposed," Sinha claimed.

The BJP national secretary had his lunch at the impoverished house of Bhagirath Roy, a mason, here. He was accompanied by other party leaders.

BJP president Amit Shah too had a lunch at a tribal home in Naxalbari, near here, in April. The tribal family, however, joined Trinamool Congress a fortnight later.

Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu described the communal violence in a West Bengal district as "unfortunate" and requested the state government to take effective steps to protect all the people -- "whether they are minority or majority".

Clashes broke out between members of two communities in Baduria in Basirhat sub-division of North 24-Parganas district earlier this week over an "objectionable" Facebook post.

"It is unfortunate. I hope the state government will take the situation seriously and take all effective steps to protect the people, every section of the people -- whether they are minority or majority," Naidu told reporters here.

Stressing that no one should be discriminated against, the information and broadcasting minister said, "Every community is part of India...I hope the state government will take action to protect the people."

West Bengal is governed by the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee.

Meanwhile, separate delegations of the BJP, the Left and the Congress were today stopped from going to Baduria as the situation was still volatile, a senior district official said.

Police and paramilitary forces marched through the troubled areas to maintain law and order.