West Bengal Bandh: Mamata Banerjee slams BJP, claims government offices, schools recorded 95% attendance

Days after two students died in a clash with the police in West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged the BJP was behind the killing and is now trying to derive political mileage out of the issue by calling a bandh.       

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had called a 12-hour bandh from 6 am to protest against the killing at Islampur area in North Dinajpur district. Mamata Banerjee, however, congratulated people of West Bengal for not participating in the bandh via tweet. Banerjee, who is in Italy's Milan on an official tour, also praised the state administration for "foiling attempts" to disrupt life in Bengal.

"They themselves (BJP) have killed two students and now are trying to derive political benefits from it. Why are they mum on farmers' suicides in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan? Why are they mum on the encounter killings in Uttar Pardesh?" Banerjee asked. 

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"If you are in politics then you have some responsibility towards the society. Being in politics doesn't mean that you can go scot free by unleashing violence," she said, asking the police to act as per the law passed by the state Assembly which empowers the administration to seek compensation from political parties for losses and damages during political agitation or shutdown.The West Bengal unit of the BJP termed its shutdown in the state as a “complete success” and called it off two hours ahead of the scheduled time.        

The chief minister, however, claimed the attendance in government offices, schools is more than 95%. The life has not at all been affected in the state."We are very much opposed to this culture of shutdownand bandh. This culture has ruined Bengal for the last so many years. Now, the BJP too is trying to follow this disruptivepolitics," she said.

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According to reports, there were incidents of violence from some West Bengal districts when the BJP and Trinamool Congress supporters clashed during the shutdown. Three state-run buses were set on fire and stones were pelted at vehicles in Islampur where the two students were killed.

(With PTI inputs)