Kolkata, Nov 18 (IANS): A political slugfest erupted in West Bengal after the arrest of a Pakistani woman and her son at the India-Nepal border in the state with the opposition holding the Mamata government responsible for illegal infiltration while the ruling Trinamool Congress counterattacking, saying border security comes under Centre's ambit.
Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said: "The Pakistanis infiltrators know that West Bengal is a safe zone for them under the current Trinamool Congress regime".
"Several Rohingyas are settling down here. These infiltrators are grave threats even for those Muslim families who had been residing here for generations," he said.
He said that there is a reason why Rohingyas find West Bengal as a "safe zone".
"A total of 55 Islamic countries have refused to give shelters to the Rohingyas. But Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gives them shelter to ensure a dedicated vote bank for Trinamool Congress. The ruling party helps the Rohingyas in getting their AADHAR and Electors Photo Identification Cards", he claimed.
"In the last by-elections at Khardah, a Bangladeshi national was nabbed while he came to vote," the leader of the opposition said.
Trinamool Congress leadership has refuted Adhikari's allegations and blamed the Union government for "failure" in checking infiltration from Pakistan.
"The Central forces are responsible for the border's security and their task is to ensure that the illegal infiltration does not happen. But since the illegal infiltration is happening, it is evident that the central forces are unable to do their task efficiently. So the responsibility also lies with the Union government and BJP as the ruling party at the Centre. Now, the leader of the opposition is trying to guard that inefficiency by putting the blame on us," said senior Trinamool Congress leader Partha Pratim Roy.