Stung by the criticism, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary, launched a scathing counter-attack on the Union government and the Border Security Force (BSF).
Their charge: central complicity in allowing illegal immigration from Bangladesh through Bengal's porous borders to "destabilise the state".
After the West Bengal Special Task Force and the Assam Police arrested four suspected terrorists of the outlawed Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) from Murshidabad on December 18 and 30, the opposition BJP has been relentless in accusing the state government of failing to curb illegal immigration. Leader of the Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari accused the TMC government of hindering the acquisition of land along the Bangladesh border by the BSF for building checkposts and other infrastructure. Union minister and Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar accused Mamata of making Bengal "a safe haven for terrorists".
This story is from the January 20, 2025 edition of India Today.
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This story is from the January 20, 2025 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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