With increase in BSF jurisdiction, TMC members who are involved in illegal businesses will be identified: BJP leader

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Member of Parliament from Ranaghat, Jagannath Sarkar on Saturday said that with the increase in the power of the Border Security Force (BSF) all those Trinamool Congress (TMC) members who are involved in illegal businesses will be identified.

"In view of increasing terrorist activities including drug smuggling at all the borders, BSF has been given more power to work within 50 kms. The state government has no right to bring any kind of laws in this regard," Sarkar said.

Sarkar quoted BJP MLA Agnimitra Pal and said, "All these Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terrorist activities are found only in Bengal and who is giving them shelter? it is the TMC government."

"If the power of BSF increases, then those involved will be caught. Mamata Banerjee's party people are involved in illegal businesses, they all will be caught. That is why Mamata Banerjee is opposing it to hide all this," Sarkar said.

Talking to ANI, the BJP leader said, "Whatever law the central government brings, it has become a habit of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to oppose it. Whenever a bill is introduced in the Parliament, instead of opposing it in the Parliament, she goes to West Bengal and starts politicising it. Earlier as well she did not oppose farm bills but later opposed them in West Bengal."

The BJP leader said that even in the case of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Bill was passed with the consent of both BJP and TMC, but later West Bengal CM started opposing it.

"The way terrorist activities and smuggling of liquor are increasing, in view of all this, the central government has increased the jurisdiction of Border Security Force (BSF)," BJP leader said.

Sarkar said that the same law was imposed on all the borders, "Earlier the jurisdiction was within 15 km and now it has become 50 km."

The BSF, which was only empowered to take action up to fifteen kilometers in the states of Punjab, West Bengal, and Assam, has now been authorised to extend its jurisdiction up to 50 km without any hurdle or permission either from central or state governments.

However, its jurisdiction has been cut short by 20 km in the five northeastern states-- Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, and Meghalaya-- where it had jurisdiction up to 80 km. Similarly in Gujarat, the BSF's jurisdiction has been curtailed from 80 to 50 km. In Rajasthan, the BSF's area of jurisdiction will remain the same at 50 km.

( With inputs from ANI )