KOLKATA: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) and Vice president of party’s West Bengal unit Saumitra Khan has flagged concern over the security of strategic Chicken neck on Thursday, August 29.
Interacting with the media, Saumitra said that he fears that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banarjee may close the path to Northeast India by shutting down the Chicken’s neck in the Silluguri portion by 2026, if the union government does not pay heed to the situation.
“I live in West Bengal and I fear that Mamata Banerjee will close the path to North East India by shutting down the (Chickens’) neck of India in the Siliguri portion by 2026 if the Government of India does not pay attention to it… She can do anything for politics… She will accommodate terrorists and criminals there for her politics. The Courts and the Indian government should see to this otherwise India would be in danger…said, Soumitra”
#WATCH | Delhi: On West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s statement, BJP MP and West Bengal BJP Vice President Saumitra Khan says, “I live in West Bengal and I fear that Mamata Banerjee will close the path to North East India by shutting down the (Chickens’) neck of India in the… pic.twitter.com/NprFzQDfIo
— ANI (@ANI) August 29, 2024
Notably, Chicken’s neck or the Silluguri corridor is a narrow stretch of land in the state of west Bengal which provides sole connectivity to the North Eastern states from rest of the country via land making it strategically crucial for India’s connection with its north eastern part.
Soumitra’s remarks came hours after the Chief Minister Mamata Banarjee at an event marking the foundation day of the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC’s) student wing said that If you burn Bengal then the North East, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Delhi and other states will also burn.
CM Banarjee remarks prompted sharp reactions from the leaders of the BJP including the Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma who come down heavily on his neighboring counterpart. In a post on the social media platform X the Assam’s CM said that “Didi how dare you threaten Assam? Don’t show us red eyes. Don’t even try to burn India with your politics of failure. It doesn’t suit you to speak divisive language”.
दीदी, आपकी हिम्मत कैसे हुई असम को धमकाने की? हमें लाल आंखें मत दिखाइए। आपकी असफलता की राजनीति से भारत को जलाने की कोशिश भी मत कीजिए। आपको विभाजनकारी भाषा बोलना शोभा नहीं देता।
দিদি, আপনার এতো সাহস কীভাবে হলো যে আপনি অসমকে ধমকি দিচ্ছেন? আমাদের রক্তচক্ষু দেখাবেন না। আপনার অসফলতার… pic.twitter.com/k194lajS8s
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 28, 2024
Further Union Minister and West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar also penned a letter to the state governor CV Ananda Bose raising concern over Banarjee’s remarks.
“I am writing to bring to your urgent attention the recent statements made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her address to the Student Wing of TMC in Kolkata. She brazenly incited the gathering by declaring, ‘I never sought revenge, but now, do what needs to be done.’ This blatant endorsement of revenge politics from the state’s highest office is concerning. Furthermore, she also made inflammatory remarks, stating, “Remember, if Bengal burns, then Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Delhi will also burn.’ This is not the voice of a person in a constitutional position; it is the rhetoric of an anti-national” reads the letter.
Union Minister and West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar writes a letter to Governor CV Ananda Bose expressing his grievance against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly inciting violence in Kolkata.
“I am writing to bring to your urgent attention the recent… pic.twitter.com/2t8aY4Wt12
— ANI (@ANI) August 29, 2024
Notably the Bengal’s Chief Minister is facing major protest by the locals and the doctor’s fraternity who have been hitting the streets across states demanding action against the accused involved in the brutal murder of the trainee doctor and the Kolkata’s RG Kar hospital’s administration.
The case is currently being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who has been reported to be in consultation with expert to determine that if the main accused Sanjay Rai was the only one involved in the crime. Other than Rai, the investigative agencies are also probing allegations of financial irregularities involving Sandeep Ghosh, the former principal of the RG Kar medical college.
