Mamata Banerjee Hits Out At BJP's 'Propaganda' After Bengaluru Blast Arrests

After the arrest of two suspects in the Bengaluru Rameswaram Cafe blast case, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday for spreading "propaganda," asserting that the state police had apprehended the suspects within two hours.

"They [BJP] have a propaganda specialist. The blast occurred in Bengaluru. Even the accused individuals are from Karnataka, not Bengal. They sought refuge in Bengal for two hours, and our police arrested them within that time," Banerjee stated at an election rally in Cooch Behar.

She cited claims that Bengal was unsafe and questioned the safety of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Bihar.

The BJP criticized the Banerjee government following the arrest of two suspects by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). "NIA detains two main suspects in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast, bomber Mussavir Hussain Shazib and accomplice Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taha, from Kolkata. Both likely belong to ISIS cell in Shivamogga, Karnataka. West Bengal, unfortunately, under Mamata Banerjee, has become a safe haven for terrorists," said BJP's Bengal co-in-charge Amit Malviya on X.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh commended the West Bengal Police for the arrest of the suspects, noting that even the NIA recognized their role. Ghosh emphasized the need to deal strictly with any anti-social elements. He also called on the BJP and its supporters to explain the arrest's location, which was in Contai, and urged state agencies to investigate the family's connections in providing shelter to such elements.

Contai in East Midnapore is a stronghold of BJP legislator Suvendu Adhikari, who serves as the leader of the opposition in the state assembly. Adhikari reiterated his stance that West Bengal remains a safe haven for international terrorists.