‘Sharia law in Bengal’: BJP on Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind

Kolkata, Dec 23: The BJP on Monday slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for failing to take any action against state minister and Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind leader Siddiqullah Chowdhury who has threatened not to allow Union Home Minister Amit Shah out of the airport here when he comes on a visit unless the Citizenship Amendment Act is immediately withdrawn.

State BJP General Secretary Sayantan Basu alleged that Sharia law, and not the Indian Constitution, was in force in the state, and dared the minister to try and implement his threat.

“Sharia laws are in force in West Bengal. The Indian Constitution is not in force in this state. The state is becoming West Bangladesh,” Basu told IANS.

Targeting Banerjee, Basu said she has not even recommended to the Governor about the removal of Chowdhury, the state’s library service minister, who made such a comment openly.

“Let alone taking any legal action against him, the Chief Minister has not even recommended the removal of the minister even after he made such a comment.”

Basu said his party would give citizenship to all Bengali Hindus who have come to the state as refugees.

“The Bengali Hindus of West Bengal had become refugees. We are giving them citizenship. We will continue to do it. If he (Chowdhury) has the guts, let him stop Amit Shah. But there can be no second opinion on Sharia regulations coming into play in West Bengal.”

Addressing a public meeting called under the banner of the Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind, its state president Chowdhury dubbed the new citizenship law CAA as being against humanity, and said his organisation could gather one lakh people outside the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and prevent Shah from stepping out of it if needed.

Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of following a “divisive” policy full of “hatred”, Chowdhury said the NDA government had no faith in dialogues and discussions.

He appealed to the people to launch an intense but democratic movement against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in a peaceful manner.