Kolkata, April 16 -- Terming the recent violence in Murshidabad as a "pre-planned communal riot", Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged a conspiracy by Union Home minister Amit Shah and the BSF in allowing cross-border influx from Bangladesh to fuel unrest in the state.

Addressing a meeting with religious leaders, she urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to implement the "atrocious" and "anti-federal" Waqf (Amendment) Act, with a warning that it would divide the country.

Banerjee claimed to have come across a post on X quoting Home Ministry sources that Bangladesh is involved in this. "Is it not the role of the BSF to guard the border? The BSF is under the Ministry of Home Affairs, not us. State government doesn't have the responsibility to guard the borders. The Centre can't evade responsibility. I will conduct a probe and find out whom the BSF had financed in the border areas by paying money to local youths to pelt stones during the violence," she alleged.

Accusing Shah of "harming the nation most for his own political agenda", Banerjee requested Modi to "control" the Union Home minister.

"Why is he (Amit Shah) in such a hurry? You will never become the Prime Minister. Once Modi-ji leaves, what will you do? You will have to crawl. You did maximum damage to the country. I would request the Prime Minister to control him. He has been given the control of all Central agencies and he is misusing them. It is a pre-planned communal riot," Banerjee said while addressing a gathering of Imams and Muezzins in Kolkata.

Questioning the timing of the implementation of the Waqf (Amendment) Act in the backdrop of the volatile situation in Bangladesh which shares its border with Bengal, Banerjee said: "You can hold secret meetings with Mohammad Yunus (chief advisor to interim government of Bangladesh) and sign pacts and agreements. I have no objections if it is for the good of the country. But what is your planning? Is it to create riot by allowing illegal cross-border infiltration with the assistance of an agency?

Three people died and several were injured as Dhulian and Shamsherganj areas of Murshidabad, and Bhangar in South 24-Parganas witnessed widespread violence during protests over the passage of the Waqf law.

Banerjee, also the chairperson of the Trinamool Congress, rubbished BJP's claims of her party being involved in the violence. "Had TMC been involved, the houses of our leaders would not have been attacked," she maintained.

She also retorted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's accusation that she is giving rioters free rein in the name of secularism. Banerjee said: "Yogi is saying big things. He is the biggest Bhogi (materialist). Multiple lives have been lost during Mahakumbh. Many encounter deaths are reported in Uttar Pradesh. Yogi doesn't let people take out rallies."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.