India, April 2 -- Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday blamed Union home minister Amit Shah for the hostage-taking of judicial officers during protests in West Bengal's Malda against voter deletion as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), and demanded his resignation. She claimed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted to derail the April 23-29 assembly elections and impose President's rule.

"Amit Shah entirely did it...the entire conspiracy... using the ECI [Election Commission of India]. He has to resign. I am demanding the resignation of the Union home minister," she said at an election rally in Murshidabad's Sagardighi.

Banerjee said the ECI has failed to maintain law and order, and hostage-taking was not her fault. "T...