The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday urged the Election Commission to declare Trinamool Congress as a 'terrorist party', upping the ante against the ruling party after political clashes in Birbhum violence left three people dead.
On the eve of a visit of its central team to Birbhum district, the BJP also alleged that West Bengal was fast becoming a "safe haven" of terrorists and anarchists under Trinamool Congress rule, posing a "grave threat" to national security.
State BJP president Rahul Sinha made the demand that the TMC be declared a "terrorist party" in a memorandum submitted to the chief electoral officer of West Bengal on the prevailing law and order situation in the state.
"Since the victory of TMC in the polls hundreds of people are being murdered in the state," he alleged at a news conference.
"Considering the depth of the dangerous situation we will request you to declare All India Trinamool Congress as a terrorist party as the people of West Bengal are not safe from them," the memorandum said.
"Thousands of cases of rape are being reported. At least 5,000 people of opposition parties were hospitalised," he alleged.
In the memorandum, Sinha alleged that a section of TMC leaders had links with terrorists organisations like Jamat-ul-Mujahideen of Bangladesh.
"It is being reported that All India Trinamool Congress has links not only with the local terrorists but also with Jamat of Bangladesh, Mujahiddins and other terrorist groups of neighbouring countries," he said in the memorandum.
Separately, BJP vice-president Muktar Abbas Naqvi accused the TMC regime of being lethargic in dealing with anti-national activities.
A BJP delegation comprising Naqvi, MPs Kirti Azad and Udit Raj and members of the state leadership is set to visit Birbhum district on Thursday where violence between Trinamool Congress and BJP led to killing of three persons last Monday.
It will submit a full-fledged report about the incident to the party's central leadership.
This is the third such visit of BJP's central team to West Bengal since the Lok Sabha elections in May, which witnessed the rise of BJP in the state.
"It is unfortunate that Bengal which led India's Independence movement is now slowly becoming a safe haven of terrorists and anarchists under the TMC regime. The TMC is not at all serious and rather lethargic in meeting the challenge just for their sake of vote bank politics," Naqvi told PTI.
"West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should deal with anti-national activities with a strong hand and her party workers and cadres should stop intimidating opposition party workers. The rule of violence and terror in Bengal is very shameful," Naqvi said.
