Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday blamed chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her party for trying to shield those involved in the Bhupatinagar bomb blast and underlined that all the accused would be brought to book.

Launching his campaign on Wednesday in Bengal, a state that is a prominent political battleground in this general election, Shah tore into Trinamul on the issue of law and order in Bengal as he spoke extensively about the attack on NIA officials in Bhupatinagar. He then went on to talk about atrocities committed on women in Sandeshkhali by local Trinamul leaders.

“After the Bhupatinagar bomb blast, Calcutta High Court ordered the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a probe. As the NIA team went to the village to investigate, Trinamul orchestrated an attack. Later, cases were filed against NIA officials,” he said.

“Mamata Banerjee wants to save those involved in the bomb blast. It’s shameful and we condemn it. Let us be clear that the NIA will continue its probe. All involved will land in jail,” Shah told the 30,000-plus crowd at Patra in Bansihari block of South Dinajpur.

He was in the district to campaign for Sukanta Majumdar, the BJP state chief, whom the party has fielded in Balurghat for the second time. Balurghat votes on April 26.

Shah’s assertion comes at a time Mamata and Trinamul are trying to build a narrative that the NIA and other central agencies are acting at the BJP’s behest.

Earlier this week, Trinamul alleged that Jitendra Tiwari, a BJP leader from Asansol, met a senior NIA official at the latter’s residence and handed him a list of Trinamul leaders who handle polling booths, recommending their arrest.

The party has placed the demand for the removal of the NIA official, D.R. Singh, and the director-general of the agency with the Election Commission of India.

It was clear from Shah’s speech that the BJP wants to drill a hole into the narrative to establish that Bengal’s law and order has deteriorated under Trinamul rule.

Shah also referred to the Sandeshkhali incident and said Trinamul leaders tortured women and unleashed a reign of terror there.

“These people attacked ED (Enforcement Directorate) officials when they went there on a raid. In this case
too, Mamata Banerjee put in all efforts to save the accused. Only after the court’s intervention, were some people arrested. Even here, Mamata Banerjee is doing politics,” the Union home minister said. “In Bengal, Trinamul is running a government of cut-money, corruption and nepotism. This government should be removed to hasten Bengal’s development.”

Trinamul reacted sharply.

Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: “Amit Shah should clarify the conspiracy between the BJP and the NIA that we exposed. In Delhi, Amit Shah asked the NIA to arrest Trinamul leaders named by local BJP leaders. The BJP is making the
NIA and the CBI work like
its cadres.”

Trinamul leader Abhishek Banerjee pointed out that Shah referred to Balurghat as “Belurghat” multiple times, but no BJP leader dared to
correct him.