Bengal BJP Chief Wants Protesters ‘Shot Like Dogs’; Babul Supriyo Says Remark ‘Irresponsible’

Dilip Ghosh came down heavily on chief minister Mamata Banerjee “for not opening fire and ordering lathicharge” on anti-CAA protesters.

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party’s West Bengal state president Dilip Ghosh on Sunday threatened to shoot and kill those involved in damaging public property during anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests, “like it was done in Uttar Pradesh”.

The protesters, he said, should have been “shot like dogs”.

Addressing a public meeting in Nadia district, Ghosh came down heavily on chief minister Mamata Banerjee “for not opening fire and ordering lathicharge” on those destroying railway property and public transport during the protests in the state in December.

“Is it the father’s property of those who are setting public property on fire? How can they destroy government property built on taxpayers’ money!” Ghosh said.

He said, “The governments of Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Karnataka did the right thing by opening fire on these anti-national elements (during anti-CAA protests).”

The BJP leader said those involved in arson and damaging public property will be shot “like the same way in Uttar Pradesh”.

“They will come here, enjoy all the facilities and destroy country’s property. Is it their zamindari!” he asked.

Ghosh also called for identifying those “sabotaging the interests” of Hindu Bengalis. He claimed that there are two crore “Muslim infiltrators” in the country. “One crore is in West Bengal alone and Mamata Banerjee is trying to protect them,” he alleged.

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While opposition leaders and activists have of course condemned his call for state-sponsored violence and murder, even BJP colleague and Union minister Babul Supriyo is not pleased with Ghosh’s remarks. “Very irresponsible of Dilip da to have said what he said,” the singer-turned-politician said on Monday.

He added that it was a “figment of [Ghosh’s] imagination” that BJP-ruled governments shot at people. However, a number of protesters’ deaths in Assam, UP and Karnataka have been attributed to police firing. All three are BJP states, and have been criticised for the .

Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao said Ghosh was trying to bully people into silence. He also asked why Ghosh did not want violent ABVP students in Jawaharlal Nehru University to be shot at.

Congress’s Nadeem Javed too condemned Ghosh’s remarks.

(With PTI inputs)