Don't need lessons on law and order from Shah: TMC

The TMC on Thursday slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks on the law and order situation in West Bengal and said that the party doesn't need lessons from him. Speaking on the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill at Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Shah had recalled that he was attacked with firebombs in Bengal during his campaigns for 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"I had gone there in 2019 and was attacked with firebombs (aag ke gola). Our party president J P Nadda's convoy was also targeted (in the run-up to the assembly polls," he had said.

The home minister further continued his attack on the West Bengal government, stating that its acts "changed even the harshest definition of the word Fascist".


Reacting to Shah's comment, senior TMC leader Sougata Roy said that neither the party nor the state government needed lessons from Shah on maintenance of law and order.

"Amit Shah should be the last person to talk about law and order. We are very well aware of his track record as a minister in Gujarat and in the Union government.

"We have seen how he failed to control the riots that shook Delhi in February 2020. We have also seen lawlessness in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh. The situation in Bengal is far better than any other state of the country," Roy said.

Echoing him, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said Shah's comments reflected his "frustration" over his party's defeat in assembly polls despite a high-pitched campaign.

The state BJP unit, however, welcomed Shah's statement.

"Amit Shah Ji has said the right thing. He has stated facts. Everybody in the country is well aware of the lawless situation in West Bengal. The recent massacre in Birbhum is a glaring example," BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

Parliament on Wednesday passed the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill empowering the police to obtain physical and biological samples of convicts and those accused of crimes.