Kolkata (West Bengal) [India]: Tearing into the Mamata Banerjee government after 5 people died in an explosion at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in the North 24 Parganas district, the leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Sunday said the chief minister was busy protecting the “thieves” in her Cabinet and meeting Muslim preachers instead of closing such factories.
While the rescue personnel at the scene of the blast said they have already retrieved five bodies from the wreckage at Duttapukur in the North 24 Parganas where the illegal factory once stood, more are feared dead or trapped under the debris.
Coming down heavily on the TMC government, Adhikari said, “This is not an isolated incident. The entire state is sitting on a powder keg. The chief minister had promised to close these illegal cracker-manufacturing factories but she is busy protecting the thieves in her government and hosting the Imams instead. She is holding meetings with Muslim preachers.”
Earlier in the day, BJP’s West Bengal president, Sukanta Majumdar, too, hit out at the state government alleging that suspected agents of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s spy agency, were not only staying in the state but also using it as a base for their anti-national activities.
Speaking to media on Saturday, Majumdar came down heavily on the Mamata Banerjee government, claiming, “We have a Pakistan-loving government here in West Bengal.
This is why people working against the country’s interests, especially ISI agents, are not only finding a safe refuge but are also using Bengal as a base for their nefarious activities.”
The BJP state chief’s remarks followed reports that a 36-year-old man, allegedly working as a spy for Pakistan, was arrested in Kolkata on Saturday evening.
Reports stated that several sensitive documents were seized from the possession of the ISI suspect.
The BJP leader alleged further that Pakistan-based ISI agents were “receiving support from the chief minister and her government”.
There was no immediate response to these allegations by the ruling Trinamool Congress.
