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After the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recovered arms and ammunition from Sandeshkhali, Union Minister Anurag Thakur flagged concern over the law and order situation in West Bengal adding that it is has become a "common thing" under Mamata Banerjee government.
During Phase 2 of polling for the Lok Sabha in the state on Friday, the CBI and the NSG bomb squads carried out raids in Sandeshkhali and the North 24 Parganas district, recovering a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the house of Abu Taleb, a relative of local TMC leader Hafzul Khan, who is alleged to be a close aide of now-expelled ruling party strongman Sheikh Shahjahan. "Under the govt of Mamata Banerjee, bomb blasts, arms, and ammunition have become a common thing. In Karnataka when bomb blasts happen, the accused gets shelter in the Mamata government state. If criminals, corruptors, and terrorists get shelter somewhere, it is in West Bengal. What kind of government is this? The law and order system has gone for a toss here. It seems like there is no government in Bengal. And Mamata Banerjee just takes a stand for corrupt people, criminals or for defending her own party leaders," Anurag Thakur told reporters on Saturday. The ruling Trinamool Congress lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer of the state on Saturday over the raids in Sandeshkhali by a joint team of the CBI and bomb squads of the elite National Security Guard (NSG). In its complaint with the CEO, the TMC alleged that despite repeated representations, the state poll panel chief failed to stop central probe agencies from "throttling the campaign efforts" of various political parties. The ruling party in the state alleged further that the CBI did not issue 'actionable notice' to the state government or the police administration before carrying out the raids. The TMC demanded that the CEO issue "immediate guidelines/framework, whereby, political parties and their functionaries are not taken steps against by any central investigating agency, including the CBI, during the period of elections". The senior BJP leader who was contesting from the Balurghat Lok Sabha constituency in the second phase of polling on Friday hinted that the arms may have been imported from other countries. Voting for three Lok Sabha seats - Balurghat, Raiganj, and Darjeeling-concluded in the second phase of the parliamentary election held on Friday. Voting in the state for 42 parliamentary members is set for all seven phases in the ongoing general elections that commenced on April 19 and will conclude on June 1. During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) won in 22 seats, while the BJP won 18 seats. Congress emerged victorious in two seats. (ANI)
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