Bengal BJP on Saturday held Mamata Banerjee responsible for the violence over the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests before issuing a threat that President’s rule would be imposed in the state if the strife continued unabated.

In Calcutta, Rahul Sinha, a national secretary of the BJP, went all guns blazing on the Bengal chief minister for allowing the “Bangladeshi infiltrators” to perpetrate violence in the state.

“Those who are perpetrating violence are Bangladeshi infiltrators. They do not even have the right to protest and yet, the state is not taking any action against them. These people are vandalising government properties, attacking people and consistently disrupting normal life,” he said.

“The government should immediately take stringent actions against them. Otherwise, Mamata Banerjee will have to walk out of power in 2020 because if such situation persists, the Centre will have no other option but to impose President’s rule,” added the BJP leader.

He didn’t comment when asked whether the party was in favour of a similar move in the BJP-ruled Assam, where the scale of violent protests against the CAA was much higher.

Several BJP leaders said in private that the party was expecting rich dividends from the violent protests.

“Our point is simple as we want the world to know that the infiltrators are responsible for the violence. The party feels that such protests by Muslims would drive the majority community towards the saffron party,” said an observer.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, who was in Siliguri on Saturday, echoed Sinha and blamed Mamata for the trouble in Bengal.

“Is it because Mamata Banerjee is afraid of losing her vote bank in the state? They are telling lie to make their vote bank strong. Let us make one thing very clear, the Citizenship Act would be implemented in the state, neither Mamata nor her party would be able to stop it,” he said.

According to him, while the BJP was trying to protect Bengali refugees, Mamata was acting against them.

The BJP state president also tried to mollify the grievances of Gorkhas, who have been apprehensive about the NRC-like exercise.

“Each Gorkha in the country will have whatever rights Dilip Ghosh has here. Gorkhas are Indian citizens and they need not worry,” said Ghosh.