A political confrontation erupted on Monday between the Centre and the state government after two BJP leaders were assaulted in landslide-hit north Bengal, with PM Narendra Modi slamming the TMC over law and order, and CM Mamata Banerjee accusing him of "politicising a natural disaster".
A day after torrential rains triggered landslides and floods that left 30 people dead and several missing across north Bengal, BJP MP Khagen Murmu and Siliguri MLA Sankar Ghosh were attacked by a mob in Jalpaiguri's Nagrakata while visiting relief sites, an incident that set off a political storm amid ongoing search and rescue operations.
Modi targeted the ruling party for the attack and said he wished the state government and the TMC were more focused on helping people rather than indulging in violence in such a challenging situation.
"The manner in which our party colleagues, including a sitting MP and MLA, were attacked in West Bengal for serving the people affected by floods and landslides is outright appalling. It highlights the insensitivity of the TMC as well as the absolutely pathetic law and order situation in the state," the PM said in a post on X in the evening.
He urged BJP workers to continue assisting in rescue operations, saying, "I call upon BJP karyakartas to continue working among the people and assist the ongoing rescue operations." Banerjee, who is in north Bengal overseeing relief efforts, reacted to the PM's remarks late in the night, launching one of her fiercest attacks yet on Modi, accusing him of breaching the "constitutional ethos" of his office.
"It is unfortunate and deeply concerning that the Prime Minister of India has chosen to politicise a natural disaster without waiting for a proper investigation, especially while people in North Bengal are grappling with the aftermath of devastating floods and landslides," she wrote on X.
Accusing the PM of making sweeping allegations without evidence, Banerjee said, "The PM has blamed the TMC and the West Bengal Government outright without a shred of verified evidence, legal inquiry, or administrative report. This is not just a political low, it is a breach of the constitutional ethos the Prime Minister has sworn to uphold. In any democracy, the law must take its own course, and only due process can determine culpability — not a tweet from a political pulpit." Her statement, measured in tone but searing in content, accused the PM of lowering the dignity of his office.
"Such sweeping, unsubstantiated generalisations are not only immature, but also unbecoming of the highest office in the land. This is not the time for partisan chest-thumping. This is a time to help and heal," she said.
The chief minister wrote, "Listen to the elected state government, not just your party colleagues. You are the Prime Minister of India, not just of BJP. Your responsibility lies in nation-building, not narrative-building." Earlier in the day, videos shared by Sankar Ghosh showed a visibly injured Murmu bleeding from his face and nose.
Ghosh alleged that the two were "kicked, punched and pelted with stones" by locals "aligned with the ruling TMC." The BJP claimed its leaders were attacked while trying to reach out to victims of the floods and landslides.
Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar, a former state BJP president, also hit out at the ruling party, alleging that Murmu and Ghosh were "brutally attacked in the presence of the Mamata-police." The ruling party hit back, terming the incident a fallout of the opposition's "photo-op politics." North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha said, "We do not support any violence, but the locals were agitated. People are suffering and desperate, and BJP leaders turned up there for media optics. The incident was an outcome of their own provocation." Banerjee earlier in the day had "appealed for restraint and unity" and urged people not to indulge in "any untoward incident" amid the ongoing crisis.
Governor C V Ananda Bose, who is camping in Darjeeling to monitor the situation, expressed "deep concern" over the attack and called for immediate steps to restore order.
The death toll rose to 30 in the evening after a few more bodies were recovered, Guha said, adding that at least four people were still missing and the toll could rise further as search operations continued in remote, landslide-hit zones.
Banerjee described the disaster as "man-made," blaming the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for the "unrestricted" release of water that flooded vast stretches of the plains.
She criticised the Centre for its alleged lack of response in dredging operations and water management and asserted that politics must never take precedence over people's lives during such crises.
The chief minister announced Rs 5 lakh compensation for the next of kin of those killed and promised a home guard job to one member of each bereaved family.
Entire hamlets in Mirik, Darjeeling and the Dooars region have been washed away, while bridges and roads were destroyed, cutting off access to several tea estates and villages. Multiple tea gardens in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts have suffered massive crop and infrastructure losses.
