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BJP criticises Basu for outburst against home ministry team

The Bharatiya Janata Party today lashed out at West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu's outburst against the central home ministry team visiting the state on a fact-finding mission.

Taking serious objection to Basu's comments, party general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu charged the Marxists with trying to hide facts about arson, looting, rape, apathy of the state police, and murders during the recent panchayat elections.

"The state is being led by a person who does not believe in the Constitution, the home minister does not know the Constitution and the party does not believe in it," the BJP leader said.

Defending the decision to send a team to West Bengal, Naidu said Article 355 of the Constitution enjoins upon the Centre the duty to ensure that states are run according to the Constitution.

No one disputes that law and order is a state subject. But imagine a situation where a state government asks for central forces to maintain law and order and the Centre refuses on the plea that law and order is a state subject, he pointed out.

"Unfortunately, the Marxists do not think beyond their party," Naidu said.

He pointed out that the Congress, the Trinamul Congress and the BJP had made representations to the home ministry about the reign of terror and the partisan attitude of the police during the polls.

"We are happy now to see the report of the 11-member fact-finding committee of the Marxists, which probed the allegations and confirmed the partisan attitude of the police," Naidu added.

Naidu took serious objection to "personal charges" levelled against Home Minister L K Advani by Basu. He said no one had threatened the state government with dismissal under Article 356.

"The Marxists are jittery because their influence is rapidly shrinking," he said.

He said the Congress had sent teams to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu while a Marxist team visited Ayodhya. In democratic and free India, every political party has the right to visit any part of the country, he said.

UNI

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