West Bengal communal violence: BJP meets governor KN Tripathi, demands President's Rule

Kolkata: The BJP on Saturday met West Bengal Governor KN Tripathi and demanded that the Centre should immediately impose President’s Rule as the law and order situation in the state has “completely broken down”. [caption id=“attachment_3788293” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A charred vehicle is seen during the riots in Baduria, West Bengal. PTI[/caption] “Today we met the governor and informed him about the grim situation in the state. The state government in collaboration with anti-national elements is directly responsible for the complete breakdown of the law and order situation. We have requested the governor to talk to the central government and send the recommendation for imposition of President’s Rule in the state,” state BJP president Dilip Ghosh told reporters after the meeting. The BJP’s demand follows the communal clashes in North 24 Parganas district and the ongoing turmoil in Darjeeling hills. It also demanded that all families affected in the riots be compensated by the state government. The BJP took out a procession from their state party office in central Kolkata during the day demanding immediate arrests of those involved in the riots and restoration of peace in Baduria and Darjeeling Hills where a movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland is on. Ghosh rubbished allegations by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that the Centre is not cooperating with the state government. “This is a complete lie. It was the central forces which helped her to come down from the hills when the agitation first started. The Centre has extended all help. In Baduria, the Centre wanted to send more forces but it was the state government which declined ,” he said. He accused West Bengal government of pursuing “politics of appeasement” with an eye on the minority votes in the state. “The incident at Baduria in North 24 Parganas district is a clear example of appeasement politics . The houses and other property of Hindus were burnt and looted but the police was standing as a mute spectator,” Ghosh said.