Kolkata, May 3 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury on Saturday criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for "failing" to visit riot-hit Murshidabad district, adding that she scheduled her trip there nearly 20 days after violence erupted.

Alleging that the TMC supremo was embarking on "riot tourism" in the district, Chowdhury accused her of being preoccupied while "houses and property of common people, belonging to both communities," were attacked by "anti-social elements" who had infiltrated a "peaceful, democratic anti-Waqf (Amendment) Act protest on April 11–12."

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Addressing a public meeting in Berhampore, the former MP, who visited Shamsherganj and other violence-hit areas, said he was informed by several affected families that "local TMC goons" were responsible for acts of arson, and alleged that police arrived four to five hours after the incidents occurred.

Accusing the CM of focusing on preparations for the Jagannath temple inauguration in Digha, Purba Medinipur, while people in parts of Murshidabad were suffering from the aftermath of the violence, Chowdhury said, "Now, many, many days after the violence, when she was busy with other works, the CM is going to Murshidabad on a publicity exercise. Apparently, she has embarked on riot tourism."

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"I wonder why she is not heading to tourist spots like Hazarduari instead of Shamsherganj. That would have been in the fitness of things after her visit to Digha," the former PCC chief remarked.

Mamata Banerjee is likely to travel to Murshidabad district on a two-day visit on Monday, TMC MLA Manirul Islam said.

After spending the night at the circuit house at Baharampur, the district headquarters town, she will travel by road to violence-hit Shamserganj and Dhulian on Tuesday, he said.

Chowdhury accused the TMC of failing to stop the violence despite having MPs and MLAs elected from constituencies in the district.

He also hinted there could be a conspiracy to foment violence in Shamsherganj as the assembly segment falls in the Lok Sabha seat of Congress MP from Malda Isha Khan to discredit the party.

He claimed 17 persons were shot at and injured in firing by security forces during the Murshidabad violence and said that "this was not confirmed by the administration."

Chowdhury also criticised the Chief Minister for what he described as indulging in religion-based politics by inaugurating a Jagannath temple in Digha and calling it a "dham," which he said hurt the sentiments of countless Jagannath devotees in Odisha and Bengal.

"Such a game of balancing spells danger for Bengal, but we will not allow that to happen," he asserted.

Turning to the Pahalgam attack, where 26 persons were killed, Chowdhury said Pakistan's attempt to sow communal discord between Hindus and Muslims "did not succeed and will not succeed."

"The supreme sacrifice of army commando Jhantu Ali Sheikh in another encounter with terrorists days after Pahalgam testifies that Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians stand united in foiling Pakistan's game plan and will fight unitedly," he said.

"Pakistan wanted to engineer communal violence by plotting the Pahalgam attack, but see how every Indian has reacted. The entire Kashmir is united in denouncing attacks on tourists. A Kashmiri pony handler was also killed as he tried to save the tourists," he added.

Chowdhury also wondered how the Pahalgam attack took place and why security forces and intelligence failed to get any prior information about the intrusion of Pak-based terrorists.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)