"Mamata ji, what have you done to Bengal? Will you feel some shame?" BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India] June 18 : BJP leader and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday lashed out at Chief Minister Mamata-Banerjee led West Bengal government alleging that the state has become synonymous with anarchy and terror under her "ruthless, undemocratic and dictatorial" government.
Prasad who is part of a four-member fact-finding team of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) probing the alleged post poll violence in the State said that BJP workers fearing violence against them, had fled the Altaberia village in South 24 Parganas district of the State.
"This village is silent, no-one is here. This is the place where BJP party workers used to come and sit. But they can't come as they are in fear. As a sign of protest...we are sitting here. What kind of rule is this by Mamata Banerjee? We are searching for people, where are they? The entire village have fled in terror..." Prasda said said during his visit to the village.
He also took to social media platform X to post that "In Altaberia village, everyone has fled and we sat at a place where BJP workers used to sit and registered our protest. A girl from the village agreed to meet us but she said only one thing, 'Don't say anything'. The villagers have fled in terror and their belongings, chickens, ducks and even cows have been looted. Under the rule of Mamata ji, who gave the slogan of Maa Mati Manush, Bengal has today become synonymous with anarchy, terror, a ruthless, undemocratic, corrupt, appeasement and dictatorial government. Mamata ji, what have you done to Bengal? Will you feel some shame?"
The four-member BJP team, including Ravi Shankar Prasad and party MPs Biplab Kumar Deb, Brij Lal, and Kavita Patidar, arrived in the state on Sunday to assess the situation in the State.
BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of social injustice, including social boycots, land seizures, and denial of essential services like water supply and medical care.
Paul said, "The way post poll violence took place in 2021 under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, and then she said, nothing has happened and everything is at peace. NHRC came here and that case is going on. 10,000 people have fled to Assam, Bihar. It is now being repeated in 2024... We don't have any expectation from Mamata Banerjee, her ministers and police, we have expectations from the court, we will go as far as possible for the justice to our party workers..."
She highlighted the plight of women, claiming that the rate of exploitation had increased despite the state being led by a female chief minister.
Biplab Kumar Deb, former Chief Minister of Tripura, also criticized the treatment of women in West Bengal and pledged to work towards ending the current governance. "Women are not given respect here. We will put an end to this system," he said.
The Lok Sabha MP from West Tripura and former Chief Minister of Tripura took to X to post pictures from his visit. He said, "TMC sheltered miscreants vandalized the sole earning shop of an old woman for narrow political interests, she is even deprived of all government facilities in Basanti of Gosaba assembly constituency. Her son is also left homeless to save his life. The acts of TMC miscreants are shameful and highly condemnable. Such misuse of power is dangerous for democracy."
Prasad recounted his visit to Cooch Behar, where he met a Scheduled Caste woman who had allegedly been assaulted by a Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker. According to Prasad, no FIR was lodged against the perpetrator despite the woman identifying him. "She was crying when she told us everything," Prasad said, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
The BJP fact-finding committee plans to submit a report to BJP President JP Nadda and continue supporting the victims. The visit came in the wake of multiple reports of violence and vandalism targeting BJP workers following the 2024 Lok Sabha election results, where the TMC won 29 seats, the BJP secured 12, and Congress took one seat out of West Bengal's 42 seats.
West Bengal's Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, has sought intervention from Governor CV Ananda Bose, emphasizing the need for urgent action to prevent further violence.