Kiren Rijiju accuses West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee of inciting violence

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of "inciting violence" by her remarks asking people to protest against the Waqf Act and declaring that she will not implement it in her state. The Union Minister for Minority Affairs, speaking at a press conference here, asked how the West Bengal CM can declare she will not implement the amended Waqf Act passed by the Parliament.

"How? How can she say she will not implement it? She is sitting in a constitutional position and the law is passed by a constitutional body, then how can she say that she will not follow something that is constitutional," he said in response to reporters' queries regarding Banerjee's statement that the Act will not be implemented in West Bengal.

In response to queries about the Waqf Act related violence in that state, Rijiju blamed Banerjee for it.

"The CM is visibly inciting violence by asking people to protest and saying that she will not follow the law passed by the Parliament," he said.

Fresh episodes of Waqf (Amendment) Act-related violence rocked Bhangar area in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Monday.

Earlier, violence related to the Act had occurred in Murshidabad district of the state.