Mamata Banerjee seeks Amit Shah’s resignation, calls Malda incident a ‘conspiracy’

Kolkata: Demanding the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had "completely failed" to maintain law and order, and described the gherao of seven judicial officers in Mothabari in Malda's Kaliachak block as a "conspiracy of Shah".

She urged the minority community to remain calm and cautioned them to "never touch the judges", warning that they could face arrest by central agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation and the National Investigation Agency in the wake of the Malda incident and the Supreme Court's observations.

"All culprits in connection with the Malda incident must be punished," she said, adding that the episode had maligned the entire state. Warning the minority community, Banerjee said, "NIA and CBI will arrest people as per the Supreme Court's order. They may then pressure you to join the BJP. Do not fall for provocation."


"Your anger and anxiety are genuine. Many of you have been wrongly deleted from the voters' list. Everyone has the right to protest peacefully. But no one should incite riots or gherao judges. BJP, Congress and some from Hyderabad will try to provoke you," she said.

Reiterating that the Malda incident was a "conspiracy" by Amit Shah, Banerjee alleged that there could be attempts to impose President's rule in the state.

"Please do not approach the judges. We will fight for you in the tribunals. Have faith in me. Do you want Bengal to go to the BJP? Do not listen to them. They are misleading you," she said at a public rally in Malda.

"If there is trouble, do not fall into provocation. Your sons and daughters will be arrested by the CBI or police if you take the law into your hands. I have no power now; nothing is in my hands," she added.

At another rally in Malda's Baishnabnagar, Banerjee accused the Congress of being complicit in the incident. "Congress sleeps throughout the year and then comes to buy votes. We have seen this in 2011 and 2016. Seats are effectively shared between the BJP and Congress," she alleged.

Banerjee claimed a new set of top bureaucracy, hinting at newly appointed Chief Secretary and DGP, have been appointed and they never apprised her of any incidents after their appointment by the ECI. Banerjee also pointed out that she was not even informed for once about the yesterday's Malda's Kaliachak incident.

"All my powers have been taken away. Officials involved in developmental work have been transferred from Bengal to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, she added.