Kolkata: Surendra Jain, the international joint general secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) alleged TMC in West Bengal was harbouring anti-nationals.

"Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government is giving a safe haven to anti-nationals", alleged Jain. This is one of the most direct and aggressive charges on the TMC government that has been on a war of sorts with the BJP.

Surendra Jain hit out at Mamata, claiming, "Under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee West Bengal had become a safe haven for jihadis, Rohingya migrants and anti-nationals".

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Jain said further that the TMC government was protecting anti-nationals and attacking those who were patriots. He posed, "If we wave the national flag and raise slogans in favour of Mother India, is it a crime in Bengal?"

Jain claimed that VHP workers were being arrested in the state. He said that they did not need the TMC government's permission to wave the national flag.

On Wednesday, people from the intelligentsia and human rights background, many of whom are believed to be close to the Mamata administration, took out an anti-war march in Kolkata.

The march faced the wrath of a group of people, who were alleged to be from the VHP. The VHP denied the charge but questioned those who held the rally in the first place.

Cashing in on the anti-Pakistan mood that has engulfed the nation, VHP's Jain questioned, "The entire country wants revenge against the perpetrators of terror attacks on our jawans. When the country is united, some people are taking out rallies, saying they want peace.  So, what will the common people do? They will attack those anti-nationals". The TMC has denied all charges.

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Surendra Jain's attack comes at a politically sensitive time when the nation is infuriated by the dastardly attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama by Pakistan-sponsored terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, which killed at least 40 jawans.

Bengal has witnessed an unprecedented face-off between the BJP and the ruling TMC in the recent times. What started off by denying permission to BJP to hold rath yatra across the state ended up in a long legal tangle.

The Banerjee administration did not even allow Yogi Adityanath's chopper to land in Purulia and also went on to change Amit Shah's designated chopper landing area.

The matter went out of hand when CBI sleuths questioned the then Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in relation to the Saradha chit fund scam. Kumar had been detained by the Kolkata Police, resulting in a massive political row, with Banerjee sitting on a dharna against what she claimed was a 'super emergency' imposed by the Centre.