As the West Bengal Assembly Elections draw near, the political atmosphere in the state is heating up. Today in Kolkata, Union Home Minister Amit Shah filed a ‘charge sheet’ against the Mamata Banerjee-led government. This ‘charge sheet’ levied allegations of deteriorating law and order, corruption, and various failures of Trinamool Congress rule. Trinamool Congress lost no time in responding to Shah’s attack.

In response to BJP’s ‘charge sheet,’ the state’s Education Minister and prominent Trinamool leader, Bratya Basu, presented a ‘counter-charge sheet’ on behalf of the party. He denied all allegations brought by the BJP and termed Amit Shah’s initiative a political drama. Instead, Bratya Basu severely criticized the BJP’s central government and the administration in various BJP-ruled states.

One of the key points of his attack was the horrifying incidents of sexual violence against women that occurred in Hathras and Unnao in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh. He alleged that the BJP government was not only silent after those incidents but also used police power to shield the perpetrators. Bratya Basu questioned why Amit Shah does not spend any words on these heinous incidents that occurred under his own party’s rule.

Trinamool’s ‘counter-charge sheet’ also mentions the current instability in Manipur and the atrocities committed against women there. Bratya Basu claimed that unnecessary fear is being spread about the law and order situation in the state. He emphasized that the Trinamool government is committed to protecting the culture and order of Bengal. According to party sources, this ‘counter-charge sheet’ will be used as a major weapon in the election campaign in the coming days.