Mamata raises Delhi riots at EZC meet

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday that there was no discussion on the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) or the NRC at the Eastern Zonal Council (EZC) meeting here but she raised the issue of violence in Delhi that claimed 43 lives.

Expressing concern, she added that steps should be taken so that the situation doesn't aggravate further.

However, there was no discussion over CAA or NRC in the meeting.

Addressing the meeting in the presence of Union Home minister Amit Shah in Bhubaneswar on Friday, Banerjee maintained: "I am very sad about what happened in Delhi. A police constable and an IB official also died. Peace must be restored in Delhi. It is also important to help the victims' family members."

She further added in this connection: "Tension should not spread to any other part of the country. Steps should be taken to restore peace and harmony." Banerjee also said she wants the situation (in Delhi) to get normalised first and then there will be political discussions in this connection. She also stressed on the need to extend all sort of support to the family members of the victims. The Chief Minister said: "We are very much disturbed and concerned as so many people have died in the incident and the victims' family members are in a very helpless state today. We must stand by these families."

Elaborating on the issues those were discussed in the meeting, Banerjee said there was no discussion on the CAA or NRC. "It was not on the agenda of the meeting and no one raised the issue even. So there was no discussion in this connection," she said adding that the Union Home Minister too didn't say anything in connection with the law and order situation.

Banerjee refused to reply to the question when asked about the demand by Congress of Amit Shah's resignation over the Delhi violence.

Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik and his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar were also present in the meeting. Finance Minister of Jharkhand Rameshwar Oraon attended the meeting on behalf of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren as the latter had to attend the state's Budget session.

Along with Banerjee, state Finance Minister Amit Mitra, state Youth Services and Sports minister Aroop Biswas, Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha and Director General of Police Virendra also attended the meeting from Bengal.

Shah and all the Chief Ministers went to Naveen Patnaik's residence in Bhubaneswar after the meeting for lunch.