Suvendu Adhikari Demands President's Rule in Bengal Amid Murshidabad Violence

Suvendu Adhikari, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Leader of Opposition in West Bengal, has called for the imposition of President's Rule in the state, citing a breakdown of law and order following deadly violence in Murshidabad district. The clashes, which erupted on Friday and continued into Saturday, claimed three lives—one due to police firing and two in communal violence—sparked by protests against the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Act.

Adhikari accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of fostering an "anti-national" environment to secure their Muslim vote bank ahead of the 2026 Bengal assembly elections. He claimed, "540 km of the border between India and Bangladesh is unfenced. The Mamata Banerjee government has not provided adequate land to the Border Security Force (BSF). The Farakka TMC MLA (Monirul Islam) has participated in a PFI program. Ahmed Hasan Imran, a SIMI leader, was sent to the Rajya Sabha by Mamata Banerjee. Directly, SIMI, PFI, and Ansarul Bangla are associated with TMC." He further alleged that the Murshidabad riots were orchestrated to repair TMC’s Muslim vote bank after losses in constituencies like Mothabari, Farakka, and Samserganj during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Interestingly in the last Lok Sabha polls, BJP came down to 12 from their previously won 18 seats out of total 42. In the 2021 assembly polls too, TMC had decisively defeated BJP.

Adhikari charged that the violence, which left Hindus "tortured and shelterless," was a deliberate attempt to polarize voters. "TMC is anti-national, Mamata Banerjee is completely anti-national. She did this to save her vote bank," he said, demanding President’s Rule to ensure free and fair elections next year.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) has slammed BJP for trying to instigate violence in Bengal for vested political interests. Prior to recently celebrated the state government of Mamata Banerjee had openly confirmed intelligence indicating plans to create communal tensions in the state. While Ram Navami passed seamlessly, but protests against the Waqf amendment bill turned ugly in Murshidabad. Even TMC Farakka MLA and Jangipur MP Khalilur Rehman had faced the wrath of the angry mob. 

The Waqf (Amendment) Act, passed in the last parliamentary session despite opposition from various parties and Muslim communities, has fuelled tensions in different parts of the country including West Bengal. Murshidabad, a communally sensitive district, saw massive protests turn violent, with vehicles torched and public property damaged. The Calcutta High Court has ordered the deployment of central forces to restore order, and over 150 arrests have been made.

Mamata Banerjee has appealed for peace, stating that the Waqf Act will not be implemented in Bengal and blaming the central government for the contentious law. However, Adhikari’s call for President’s Rule has intensified the political slugfest, with BJP accusing TMC of "appeasement politics" and TMC alleging that BJP is instigating communal tensions.