'Exodus should stop': Congress blames West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, BJP for Murshidabad violence

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Pramod Tiwari has held both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP responsible for the recent violence in Murshidabad, saying that the ongoing exodus of families must come to an end. The clashes, which erupted during protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, have led to the deaths of three people and forced several families to flee their homes.

“I am in pain with what happened in Murshidabad. The victims should get justice. The exodus should stop,” Tiwari said while speaking to ANI. “If something has been conspired in Bangladesh, then both the central and state governments are responsible,” he added.

Tiwari’s remarks come as a direct rebuke to both the BJP-led central government and the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government in Bengal, despite Congress being a TMC ally in the INDIA bloc. He accused both administrations of failing to prevent the violence and protect state borders from potential foreign conspiracies. “If law and order collapsed, then the state could not manage it. I think both the centre and state are at fault. The situation should be normal as soon as possible, and justice should prevail,” he added.

West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose also reacted strongly to the violence, calling it a persistent and deep-rooted problem in the state. Speaking to reporters before visiting the affected areas in Malda and Murshidabad, he said, “The cult of violence is a reality in Bengal. We have two cancerous growths on the body politic of West Bengal—one is violence, and the other is corruption. We have to strike at the roots of this.”

Governor Bose said that while the situation on the ground had slightly improved since the deployment of central forces, complaints of distress were still being received at Raj Bhavan’s "Peace Room". He promised continued outreach to victims and coordinated relief efforts with organisations such as the Red Cross.

Meanwhile, the national human rights commission (NHRC) has begun its on-the-ground inquiry into the violence, following reports of serious human rights violations. A team from the Commission visited refugee camps in Malda on Friday, listening to testimonies from families who fled from the Muslim-majority areas of Shamsherganj, Suti, Dhulian and Jangipur.

The Calcutta high court has also intervened, directing that central forces remain in place to maintain law and order, while warning political leaders from all parties—including BJP and TMC—against making provocative remarks that could worsen the situation.