Thane (Maharashtra) [India], April 16 (ANI): Alleging the 'targeted violence against Hindu families' in Bengal, Shiv Sena MP and spokesperson Naresh Mhaske on Wednesday demanded the 'immediate' dismissal of the Mamata government for its 'willful negligence' responsible for the Murshidabad violence.

The violence broke out on April 11 in the Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district during a protest over the Waqf (Amendment) Act. The protests swept across Malda, Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas, and Hooghly districts, leading to arson, stone-pelting, and road blockades.

'Speaking at a press conference in Thane, Mhaske condemned recent incidents of targeted violence against Hindu families in Bengal, accusing the state administration of willful negligence and vote-bank appeasement,' as per a Shiv Sena release.

'Hindu families are being terrorised and driven out of their homes. After the Centre passed the Waqf Board Amendment Bill, elements from a particular community have openly attacked Hindus. In Murshidabad, anti-social mobs invaded a Hindu household, murdered members of the family in front of the police, and torched their property and vehicles,' Mhaske alleged.

'This is a state-sponsored failure. Mamata Banerjee has not just turned a blind eye, she's complicit in her silence. Her government must be immediately dismissed,' he added.

Mhaske also announced that a Shiv Sena delegation would soon visit West Bengal to meet the affected families and assess the situation firsthand.

Sharpening his attack, he accused Banerjee of prioritising minority appeasement over justice. 'To safeguard her Muslim vote bank, Mamata Banerjee has become helpless. Her silence today is criminal. She's no different from Tahawwur Rana, one of the masterminds behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. From now on, she deserves the name 'Mamata Rana.''

Taking aim at Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, Mhaske questioned his silence. 'He claims to stand for Hindutva, yet he once hosted Mamata Banerjee at Matoshree. Where is his outrage now? Why hasn't he condemned the atrocities against Hindus in Bengal?'

Recalling past incidents of violence in the state--including the 2018 Ram Navami riots in Raniganj, and violence during Lok Sabha and panchayat elections--Mhaske said the pattern of unrest reflects systemic failure and appeasement by the Bengal government.

'Just like the Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee their homeland during the Congress rule, Hindus in Bengal are now facing a similar exodus. And yet, leaders of the INDIA alliance, Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav, Uddhav Thackeray, MK Stalin, remain shamefully silent out of fear of Mamata,' he said.

MP Mhaske also slammed Uddhav Thackeray for the 'ideological collapse' of the Shiv Sena (UBT), 'Eknath Shinde is the true inheritor of Balasaheb Thackeray's legacy. The public endorsed this in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray's party has fallen so far that they now rely on AI to make Balasaheb speak. That's the extent of their identity crisis--their ideology is gone, their minds are broken, and their leadership is hollow.'

He concluded with a jibe at Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut: 'Sanjay Raut is like a burning ember--he emits smoke once in a while, but there's no real fire left.' (ANI)