Mamata Banerjee attacks BJP, Amit Shah over Murshidabad riots

India's West Bengal Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday cited Union home minister Amit Shah's control of federal agencies and attacked him and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the communal riots in West Bengal's Murshidabad district during protests against the new law for regulating and managing Waqf or Islamic charitable endowments.

She alleged criminal elements from Bangladesh were allowed to enter India and engineer riots.

Violence erupted in Murshidabad's Suti and Samserganj on Friday during protests against the Waqf law and left three people dead. Haragobindo Das, 72, and his son Chandan Das, 40, were stabbed to death in Samserganj. The third person, Ezaz Ahmed, 25, was killed in firing by security forces.

"I saw a social media post by a news agency. It said people from Bangladesh engineered the riots," Banerjee said at a meeting of religious leaders to discuss the new law. She said she is not in charge of guarding the border and that the Border Security Force (BSF) under the Union home ministry guards the frontier, questioning why people from across the border were allowed to create trouble in West Bengal.

"You want polarisation. You want to divide Hindus and Muslims," she said. Banerjee said she never mentions Shah's name. "But if the Union home minister cuts the branch on which he sits, then we have to speak out."

Banerjee asked why Shah was in a hurry and added that he would never become the Prime Minister. "What will you do when [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi leaves [his post]? You will have to crawl." She accused Shah of doing maximum damage to India and requested Modi to control him. "He has been given charge of all federal agencies. He does all the planning," Banerjee said.

She said the riot-affected area is part of the Malda (south) parliamentary constituency, which the Congress won in 2024. "It was a pre-planned communal riot," she said, citing information from local people.

She promised the rioters would not go unpunished. "I will not spare those who took part in the riots. BSF opened fire. This should be probed too. Our government will build houses for those who lost their homes. Those who lost shops will also be compensated." She announced a ₹10 lakh compensation each for the families of those who died.

She said kids were paid ₹5,000-6,000 to throw stones. "Our investigation is on. We will find out who did this." She said flights were operating between India and Bangladesh and questioned who was coming. "Earlier, our police used to be posted at the airports. You [Union government] have removed them. Trains are running. You do not share any report with us," she said.

Banerjee accused a section of the media outside Bengal of spreading fake news and the BJP of paying them. "They circulate videos from other states and pass them as incidents in Bengal. We have detected these. Every religion should respect other religions. This is our heritage, but you are taking away the rights of both Ram and Rahim."

She questioned the hurry to push the Waqf law. "You may hold secret meetings with Muhammad Yunus [advisor to the Bangladesh caretaker government]. We would not say anything if that helps. But what is your real intention? To get people from Bangladesh and start riots here?"

Banerjee questioned the BJP over unemployment and price rise. "You have been in power for 10 years. How many jobs have you created? Only prices of medicines, petrol, diesel, and essential items have skyrocketed," she said.

"Be patient for one year. There will be a change in Delhi. A new government will come. And I hope the man who crawls would not be in it. Once that happens, we have to amend the Constitution and change all the laws the BJP introduced. If there is a crisis, you have to wait and overcome the situation."

Banerjee referred to the BJP's plans to introduce a Uniform Civil Code and asked whether Christians would accept it. "We know you are anti-Muslim, but whom do you meet when you visit Saudi Arabia? Whose hospitality do you accept in Dubai and Kuwait? Who do you embrace there? This double standard would not work."

She said the BJP will use hooligans to create trouble. "They planned to do this during Ram Navami, but you foiled their plans." She asked her audience not to fall into the BJP's trap. "Go to Delhi and seek appointments with the president and the prime Minister. Protest in Delhi. As long as I am here, I will not let them create a divide between Hindus and Muslims."

BJP's Bengal chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said Banerjee's comments on Amit Shah established his position. "She is recognising the Union home minister's leadership. It is apparent that those who indulged in riot and attacked Hindus are scared. She sent a divisive message. The Uniform Civil Code is not a hidden agenda. People want it. By raising it, she sent a signal. Riots took place in several districts in recent years. Were people from Bangladesh involved in those incidents?" asked Bhattacharya. "Her politics is all about indulging infiltration of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas. Indian Muslims are facing trouble because of this."