The recovery of arms and ammunition in multiple locations in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali on April 26 sparked a verbal duel between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP. The ruling party alleged that the saffron camp was orchestrating a plot to discredit the State during the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. The BJP accused the TMC of shielding terrorists and having a tacit understanding with anti-national elements.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seized arms and ammunition, including foreign-made firearms, during search operations at multiple locations in Sandeshkhali. These search operations were conducted in connection with the January attack on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team by a mob allegedly instigated by now-suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh.

Teams from the CBI, the bomb detection squad, the National Security Guard (NSG), the central paramilitary forces, and the West Bengal Police were involved in the search operations at the village—a riverine delta—on the fringes of the Sundarbans in the North 24 Parganas district.

The recovery of the arms and ammunition has triggered a political battle between the TMC and the BJP. The TMC spokesperson, Kunal Ghosh, expressed doubts about the CBI’s claims and accused the BJP of using central agencies to malign the TMC during elections. He suggested that it could be a well-designed campaign by the BJP.

In response, senior BJP leader Amit Malviya called the arms haul an act of terror and accused Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, of protecting terrorists. He questioned why the state had such a huge stockpile of illegal weapons.

The TMC has lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, stating that the CBI conducted an unscrupulous raid at an empty location in Sandeshkhali during the second phase of polling in the state. The party alleged that the raid was an attempt by the CBI to create a nationwide hatred against the TMC and its candidates. They also raised doubts about the recovery of the arms and ammunition, suggesting that they may have been planted by the CBI or NSG. The TMC accused the BJP of weaponizing the central investigation agencies to carry out a smear campaign against the party.

The recovery of the arms and ammunition and the subsequent political battle between the TMC and BJP highlight the tensions and allegations surrounding the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal.