‘Modern day Jinnah’: BJP targets Mamata for silence over Murshidabad violence | India News

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday termed West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee as “Modern day Jinnah” and claimed that her party’s actions are akin to Muslim League in 1940’s.
Condemning Mamata’s silence over the death of the three people in the violent protests in Murshidabad, BJP leader Tarun Chugh accused the TMC-led government of continuously compromising with the safety of the Hindus in the name of minority appeasement.
“What Jinnah was doing is being done by Mamata Banerjee. Today, her image has been established as a modern Jinnah, and her party is doing the work of the Muslim League… Today’s incidents are like the actions of the Muslim League in the 1940s. Even then, the people in power had their eyes blindfolded,” Chugh said.
“Mamata Banerjee’s mysterious silence even after three people were killed in Waqf violence in Murshidabad is shameful, highly condemnable and painful. Mamata government has been continuously compromising on the safety of Hindus in the name of minority appeasement,” he added.
Meanwhile, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused the West Bengal government of enabling “state-sponsored, state-protected, and state-encouraged targeted violence against Hindus.”
“Bengal is burning, and Mamata Banerjee’s govt is completely responsible for this. This is state-sponsored, state-protected, state-encouraged targeted violence against Hindus. Hindus are being forced to migrate, and idols in temples are being demolished,” Poonawalla said.
“We also saw how the saffron flag was taken down. This is happening in the land of Swami Vivekananda. We saw that Hindu houses are being set on fire, and selectively, their shops are being set on fire. The way Hindus are being harassed, Mamata Banerjee should be ashamed that she is still engaged in appeasement,” he added.
Protests erupted in Murshidabad against the recently enacted Waqf amendment act in West Bengal. The demonstrations turned violent and claimed at least three lives in the district.
West Bengal Police have arrested a total of 150 individuals and adequate police forces have been deployed in Samserganj, Dhuliyan, and other affected areas to maintain order, according to a statement by the police.
On Saturday, a special bench of the Calcutta High Court ordered the deployment of central forces “immediately” in Murshidabad in the wake of widespread violence.
The high court also instructed both the Mamata government and the Centre to submit detailed reports on the situation. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on April 17.
While the Opposition has been protesting against the Waqf Act, the BJP has launched a ‘Waqf Reforms Awareness Campaign’, which will run from April 20 to May 5. The initiative will tell the benefits of the Waqf Act to the Muslim community.