Violence Over Waqf Law Sparks President's Rule Demands In West Bengal

Kolkata: The violence in West Bengal over the new Waqf law is strongly stirring the political pot with calls for imposition of President’s rule in the state, triggering buzz about significant developments before it goes to high-stakes polls next year.

Observation Made By Political Watchers

Political watchers are hinting at some incidents in the national capital over the last 24 hours to signal a major churning in the days to come. PM Narendra Modi calling on President Droupadi Murmu for a meeting whose reason was not disclosed postponement of the launching of the Vande Bharat train to Srinagar by him from Katra, and the meeting of BJP chief JP Nadda with senior ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh are being touted as indications of high-level deliberations in political corridors in view of the volatile situation in West Bengal.

About The Developments

The developments come against the backdrop of the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the Assembly, alleging breakdown of law and order and demanding Central rule in the state. “Wherever Hindus are in the minority, they are stopped from voting,” he had said on Monday, adding, “the police act like cadres of the ruling party (Trinamool Congress)”.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Trains Her Guns On The BJP

CM Mamata Banerjee, however, trained her guns on the BJP, calling the communal violence in Murshidabad “pre-planned” and accusing the saffron party of orchestrating tension by facilitating influx from Bangladesh with the help of a section of BSF and central agencies under the Union Home Ministry.

At a meeting with Muslim religious leaders in Kolkata on Wednesday, she implored the PM not to implement the “atrocious” Waqf law, and urged him to rein in Shah for “harming the nation most for his own political agenda”. The BJP has, over the last decade, tried hard to make inroads into the state. It has often accused the TMC government of not protecting the Hindus. Since the formation of the first Modi government in 2014, the BJP has desisted from imposing President’s rule in any state.

On the other hand, it highlighted, time and again, how elected governments were regularly pulled down under previous regimes. However, the trend was broken in February this year when strife-torn Manipur was brought under central rule. There is a growing view now that the Centre may play the “President’s rule” card where it perceives a breakdown of law and order.

BJP’s ally Shiv Sena, led by Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde, also joined the chorus for central rule in Bengal on Wednesday, alleging TMC was a “mere spectator” as clashes raged on while other INDIA bloc allies kept mum.

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