Lawlessness at peak in Bengal, women unsafe under Mamata Banerjee's rule: Vijayvargiya

Vijayvargiya, who is the saffron party's Bengal minder, claimed that "one set of laws is applicable in the whole country barring this state, where only Mamata Banerjee's rules prevail". "Bengal has a woman chief minister but women in the state are not safe," he said, while pointing out to the recent gangrape case of two women in Jalpaiguri district, one of whom allegedly died by suicide.

Asserting that law and order situation has reached its nadir in West Bengal under the TMC dispensation, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Thursday claimed that women are not safe in the state, even though the chief minister herself is a woman. Vijayvargiya, who is the saffron party's Bengal minder, claimed that "one set of laws is applicable in the whole country barring this state, where only Mamata Banerjee's rules prevail".

"Bengal has a woman chief minister but women in the state are not safe," he said, while pointing out to the recent gangrape case of two women in Jalpaiguri district, one of whom allegedly died by suicide. He also said that BJP's women workers were being attacked in different parts of the state.

"The perpetrators of such acts enjoy the patronage of the government. They will be shown their place. All law- breakers and their accomplices will be sent behind bars after the 2021 Assembly elections," he said, expressing confidence that the saffron party will be voted to power in the state. "I am astounded that a people's representative was hanged to death, and the police called it a case of suicide," Vijayvargiya said, referring to unnatural demise of BJP MLA Debendra Nath Roy in July.

Accusing the state of doling out cyclone Amphan relief to people affiliated with the ruling dispensation, he said the poor and the affected were deprived of financial aid. "Those who have four-storey houses have received Rs 20,000 cash relief, meant for the poor," the BJP leader said.

Contending that news outlets were being muzzled in the state, he said "media is the fourth pillar of democracy, but it cannot say anything that is critical of the government because of the TMC's highhandedness," he said. Vijayvargiya also sought to know why the TMC government had ordered a lockdown in the state on August 5, coinciding with the foundation-laying ceremony of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

He alleged that the TMC government has failed to manage the COVID-19 situation and the migrant crisis. "Bengal has the highest number of unemployed youths in the country. Young men and women, after completing education, are compelled to move to other states for work. Around 25 to 30 lakh people from Bengal, who work in other states, wanted to come back after the nationwide lockdown was imposed, but the CM was not willing to have them back.

"I hail from Madhya Pradesh and the BJP government there made arrangements for three trains to send workers back home to Bengal," the saffron party leader said. He claimed that "the BJP, on forming government in the state after next elections, will bring industries" to the state and ensure that it lives up to the tag of 'Sonar Bangla' (Golden Bengal) again.

"More than 1,000 small and large industries have closed down in the state under the TMC rule. The Mamata Banerjee government's global investment meets are flop shows," Vijayvargiya claimed. Slamming TMC leaders for allegedly taking cut money (commission) from the beneficiaries of government schemes, the BJP's Bengal minder said, "It is surprising that a chief minister had to ask them to return the money. I have never seen such honesty among the dishonest."