The Sandeshkhali violence on Friday united the BJP, CPM and the Congress in denouncing the state of law and order under the Mamata Banerjee government, prompting Trinamul to hit back with matching belligerence.

The BJP demanded the resignation of the chief minister, who also holds charge of the home department. “Mamata Banerjee doesn’t have the right to remain in her post, she must resign,” BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said.

“When Mamata Banerjee is standing by goons instead of the law, it won’t be wrong to say that she only wants to enjoy power.”

In response, Trinamul demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the government’s inaction over the Manipur unrest.

“The BJP wants Mamata Banerjee’s resignation? The whole nation wants the Prime Minister’s resignation,” Bengal industry minister Shashi Panja said.

State BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah requesting that the National Investigation Agency probe the Sandeshkhali incident.

“Given the severity and nature of this attack, I earnestly request your immediate intervention in initiating an NIA investigation into this incident,” the letter said.

“Such an investigation is crucial to ensure the safety of law enforcement personnel carrying out their duties and to uphold the rule of law in our country.”

While the BJP did not directly demand President’s rule — something it has avoided over the past year, sensing the general unpopularity of the idea — Majumdar cited remarks made by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a Calcutta High Court judge, in favour of central intervention.

The demand for President’s rule did come but from an unlikely source — the Congress, Mamata’s INDIA partner. “After this attack by miscreants from the ruling establishment, against central agency officials, it is clearer than ever that there is no law and order here,” State Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, also the Congress’s leader in the Lok Sabha, said.

“Today, they escaped with injuries. Tomorrow, they could be murdered. Even that ought not to be a surprise any longer. It’s a fit case for President’s rule; it ought to be imposed without further ado.”

Mamata’s bete noire Suvendu Adhikari, a Trinamul defector to the BJP who is now leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, said the chief minister was the “main reason” for what happened at Sandeshkhali.

He referred to past instances of Mamata urging people to stand up to the allegedly atrocious “agency raj” of the BJP-led Centre.

“Instead of upholding the constitutional norms, respecting the federal structure and abiding by the judicial directions, you have time and again tried to instigate your unruly party workers who are less political and more radical; supporting fundamentalism,” he posted on X.

Lauding the central forces personnel at Sandeshkhali for staying calm under pressure and not firing, Adhikari alleged a plan by Mamata to instigate a Sitalkuchi-like tragedy.

“The brave jawans (foiled) @MamataOfficial’s cunning plan of creating a situation which would end up looking like Sitalkuchi, had they fired even once,” he wrote.

Central forces had opened fire at a polling booth in Sitalkuchi during the 2021 Assembly polls, killing four people. The incident is believed to have been a key inflection point in the election that returned Mamata to power for a third consecutive term.

“If one person from the mob had died today, Mamata Banerjee and her whole party leadership would have succeeded in diverting attention from the limitless corruption and the investigation to nab the culprits,” Adhikari claimed.

Besides the communal undertones of the Sitalkuchi reference, Adhikari and others in the BJP repeatedly alleged that the attackers at Sandeshkhali were Trinamul-sheltered Rohingyas, appearing to make another attempt at polarisation, a policy that has so far failed in Bengal.

“We maintain zero tolerance for corruption, unlike the BJP. The BJP has always incited violence among people,” minister Panja said.

“Even now, they are making communal comments, with the likes of Sukanta Majumdar and Suvendu Adhikari leading from the front. This is utterly outrageous, thoroughly condemnable.”

CPM state secretary Md Salim attacked the Trinamul government over what he said was worsening law and order. But he was equally unsparing on the BJP and its leaders such as Adhikari, whom he accused of having encouraged the rise of hooliganism during their time in Mamata’s party.

“Trinamul has allowed these miscreants to thrive and prosper for the sake of increasing its clout. But such BJP leaders cannot expect to be absolved of the responsibility,” Salim said.

Trinamul accused the BJP of trying to deflect attention from its own crimes by triggering disorder.

“From what we have heard, people of the area were provoked and they retaliated. We have repeatedly said that we do not support violence of any kind,” Panja said.

“We have no issues with any investigation, but there are some who are deliberately trying to foment disorder. They are deliberately trying to create situations to defame Bengal.”

She added: “If we knew about the arrival of the central investigative agencies, we would have cooperated…. Every state has certain sensitive areas and the state government has a better idea about these areas.”

Panja said the masses were now able to see right through the political agenda behind the central agencies’ activities, which she accused the BJP of misusing to target the national Opposition.