Rajnath Singh speaks to WB governor and CM, asks them to resolve differences

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday telephoned West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after their tiff over communal clashes in North 24 Parganas.

Sources said the Home Minister spoke to them separately and advised them to resolve their differences in a friendly manner. Both Tripathi and Banerjee explained their position to the Home Minister.

Singh also took stock of the situation in the riot-hit Baduria in Basirhat sub-division of the district. The clashes erupted on Monday evening over an "objectionable" Facebook post about a holy place. 

The Home Minister also discussed the situation in Darjeeling, where the indefinite strike for a separate Gorkhaland state is on for the past three weeks.

The phone calls, which came as Ministry of



Home Affairs (MHA) also sought a report from the state government over the clashes, came as Banerjee accused the Governor of threatening her and acting like a "BJP block president".

While Banerjee on Tuesday said she felt insulted the way in which Tripathi spoke to her over phone, her party Trinamool Congress upped the ante on Wednesday against him, saying he has "crossed all constitutional limits" and that the Raj Bhavan "could not be the party office of the BJP". Banerjee said she had even thought of quitting office over the "humiliation".

Tripathi had on Tuesday night itself spoken to Singh and apprised him on the communal clashes in North 24 Parganas that was triggered by a Facebook post. He had said he was surprised at Banerjee's allegations and that he "cannot remain a mute spectator to the affairs in the state".