'Muslims attacked on petty pretexts like eating beef under BJP rule'

The book 'India in Distress' was released on Friday in the presence of Trinamool Congress parliamentary leader, Rajya Sabha, Derek O'Brien

New Delhi: Violence is being inflicted on the Muslim community on "petty pretexts" like eating beef under the BJP rule, says TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in a scathing indictment of the saffron party in her latest book.

The book 'India in Distress' was released on Friday in the presence of Trinamool Congress parliamentary leader, Rajya Sabha, Derek O'Brien. Banerjee said India was being converted into a country of "religious orthodoxy" and its secular non-violent fabric was being distorted.

"It is as if with the BJP in power, hooligans have got a license to practice violence and riots. They are not afraid of anyone anymore. We see that violence is being inflicted upon the minority Muslim communities across the country. We see that on various petty pretexts like eating cow meat to 'love jihad', Muslims are being slaughtered in various corners of the country.

"They have launched a campaign to destroy the religious harmony that this country has always been proud of," she writes in the book. The West Bengal chief minister also claimed that a conspiracy was afoot to erase the memory of Mahatma Gandhi and secularism was being replaced by "violence and brutality".

"Organising programmes to celebrate Gandhiji's 150th birth anniversary cannot mask the fact that a plot is afoot to try and undo Gandhiji's contribution towards the making of a secular India," she said. Writing on the Pulwama attack, Banerjee sought to know whether there was intelligence failure on part of the security agencies and if such a threat was discussed in meetings of senior officials.

"...Why the standard operating procedure (SOP) for convoy movement including sanitisation of the entire route was not followed? Why 78 vehicles were allowed in a convoy movement in a very sensitive zone? Why 'naka' checking at the point of barriers on frequent intervals en route was not carried out?" are some of the questions raised by the TMC leader in her book.

"It is reported that the CRPF had asked for airlifting their jawans, but it was not cleared. Why? Who are responsible for such glaring lapses and lack of coordination? I am constantly asking myself are the jawans and the people of this country safe and secure in the hands of the government?" she added.

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