'Even if a chocolate bomb explodes in Bengal, CBI, NIA, NSG are sent here': Mamata Banerjee on CBI's recovery of arms

 

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that there is "no evidence" to support the claims made by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the agency recovered a significant amount of arms and explosives in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali and sought assistance from the NSG bomb squad for their disposal.

 

Speaking at a public gathering in Kulti, West Burdwan district, Banerjee alleged that the entire operation was orchestrated to tarnish the reputation of the West Bengal government.

“Even if a chocolate bomb explodes in Bengal, CBI, NIA, NSG are sent here…as if there is a war going on here. This is a one-sided approach as the state police were not informed. Nobody knows where it was recovered from – maybe it was brought from their own car and presented as recovered items. There is no evidence to show it was found here,” said Banerjee.

Five teams from CBI conducted searches in Sandeshkhali on Friday, accompanied by central forces. These raids occurred during the ongoing second phase of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. The recovered items comprised foreign-made revolvers, Indian revolvers, foreign-made pistols, and ammunition.

“Even today, I heard there was an incident near Sandeshkhali. A BJP leader had stored bombs in his house. They think that they can win the election by cancelling jobs and exploding bombs. We want ‘Roti, Kapda, Makaan’ and jobs for the people, not their lofty speeches,” the TMC supremo said.

The opposition criticised the TMC government for its inability to uphold law and order in Bengal.

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar expressed surprise at the Trinamool Congress's efforts to halt the CBI probe in Sandeshkhali by approaching the Supreme Court and the Election Commission. He criticized the Mamata Banerjee government for failing to address the deteriorating law and order situation in the state and for shifting blame onto the agency for the discoveries made.

 

Senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty criticized the TMC government, suggesting that if raids had been conducted earlier, more arms would have been recovered. He highlighted concerns over the discovery of arms, some reportedly from foreign countries, implying that Bengal has become an arms factory under the TMC government.