BJP govts in UP, Assam shot people like dogs for damaging property, claims Dilip Ghosh

Dilip Ghosh criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee “for not opening fire and ordering lathi-charge” on those destroying railway property.

New Delhi: Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh controversially said on Sunday that those involved in damaging public property should be “shot” like they were, according to him, in BJP-ruled states.

Addressing a public meeting in West Bengal’s Nadia district, Dilip Ghosh criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee “for not opening fire and ordering lathi-charge” on those destroying railway property and public transport during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the state in December last year.

“Who do they think the public property that they are destroying belongs to? Their father? Public property belongs to the taxpayers… You will come here, eat our food, stay here and damage public property. Is it your zamindari? We will bash you with lathis, shoot you and put you in jail,” Mr Ghosh said, according to news agency ANI.

“Didi’s (Mamata Banerjee) police didn’t take action against the people who destroyed public properties as they are her voters. Our governments in Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Karnataka have shot these people like dogs,” said the BJP leader, adding that they did the “right thing”.

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

The BJP MP was attending an event in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which makes religion a criteria for citizenship for the first time.