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BJP joins issue with Bengal over central team's visit

The Bharatiya Janata Party has taken exception to the West Bengal government's stance towards the central team currently visiting the state to study the law and order situation.

BJP vice-president K L Sharma said the language used by the West Bengal government was highly objectionable, and demanded that the chief minister withdraw his words 'let the Centre invoke Article 356 in the state and face consequences'.

He said the Union government was empowered under Article 355 to interfere if there was some external aggression or internal disturbances in the country. West Bengal was part of the country and the Centre can ascertain facts about the happenings there.

Sharma said the West Bengal government, by asking the Centre to mind its own business, "had given the impression that it was concealing something".

It was well known that there had been widespread violence in the state during panchayat elections and the central team had gone there to study the facts. The state government should have co-operated with the team and waited for its report before using such an offensive language, the BJP leader said.

He maintained that the BJP was against the misuse of Article 356, and therefore appreciated the Centre's decision to send a team there before taking any arbitrary decision to dismiss the state government. In fact, all political parties should praise the Centre for it, he said.

UNI

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