Kolkata: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday sought the cooperation of the governments in West Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha in ensuring proper security at the borders, official sources said. The development took place at the 25th Eastern Zonal Council (EZC) meeting chaired by Shah at the State Secretariat Nabanna.
According to sources during the meeting, Shash said that ensuring security at the border is not just the Centre's responsibility but the State Governments will also have to chip in to ensure the safety of the nation.
" As for border security, the work of the earlier governments was not up to the mark. We have made a lot of progress in this regard," said Shah as quoted by sources. They further revealed that issues such as illegal infiltration, transborder smuggling, and other issues related to the India-Bangladesh border were discussed during the meeting. Issues such as transportation facilities and water sharing were also discussed at the meeting.
Shah also held a one-on-one meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Apart from Mamata her counterpart from Jharkhand Hemant Soren, Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and Odisha minister Pradeep Amat also attended the meeting. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar skipped the meeting on Saturday.
Security was beefed up around the state secretariat and the BJP office in the city. Shah, who is also a senior BJP leader, had on Friday evening held a closed-door meeting here with members of the party's Bengal unit, where he took stock of the law and order situation in the state. He reviewed the saffron camp's preparations for the upcoming panchayat polls in West Bengal as well, BJP leaders said.
"We have apprised the home minister of the current law and order situation in West Bengal. He has also been told about the party's preparations for the panchayat polls. He urged party workers to reach out to as many voters as possible," BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh told reporters. The party's state president Sukanta Majumdar and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari were also present at the meeting which lasted for around 30 minutes.
