BJP president JP Nadda’s convoy was on Wednesday attacked by alleged TMC supporters in West Bengal, provoking an angry assault by the saffron party leader who alleged the state has slipped into “complete lawlessness and goonda raj”.
While hinting that election is just an official formality, Nadda said that ‘parivartan’ (change) has already arrived in West Bengal and it is just a matter of time that the lotus will bloom in this ‘sonar Bangla’.
Trouble started when the convoy of BJP leaders including Nadda, Mukul Roy, Dilip Ghosh, Kailash Vijayvargiya was attacked with stones, bricks and glass bottles at Sirakol area in South 24-Parganas district.
A number of cars, including that of Vijayvargiya and Dilip Ghosh, were damaged in the attack. “TMC goons attacked our convoys. I have received injuries on my right hand. People will give a befitting reply to TMC,” Vijayvargiya said.
The Centre sought a report from the West Bengal government on alleged “serious security lapses” during the BJP president’s visit, the circumstances and what action has been taken on it. The Union home ministry’s communication to the West Bengal government came after BJP state unit chief Dilip Ghosh wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
In his letter, Ghosh alleged that a “mob” of over 200 people with sticks and bamboos were demonstrating raising black flags in front of BJP’s state unit office in Kolkata. He also claimed that some of the protesters climbed on cars parked outside the party’s office and raised slogans, and the “police did not intervene to stop them and casually allowed them to come within a close perimeter of Nadda ji’s vehicle”.
Since Nadda’s vehicle was bullet proof, he didn’t suffer any injuries and later all the leaders reached the public rally venue amid tight security.
Addressing the rally, Nadda said, “While coming to this venue I was greeted by TMC goons. Therefore, we reached late. I noticed the excitement of common people towards the BJP. And the attack on our convoys shows that TMC got scared of the ‘parivartan’ that has already arrived in Bengal and it is just a matter of time to give rest to TMC.”
He said, “Today’s incident once again shows that there is a ‘jungle raj’ in Bengal. I luckily survived due to my bullet proof vehicle. I would like to tell my workers to intensify mass contact and assure people that there is nothing to worry as we are coming to save them from the misrule of Mamata Banerjee government.”
He said, “There are 80 central schemes meant for poor people and farmers are blocked by Mamata Banerjee. Once we form the government, we will ensure these schemes should be implemented here.”
Diamond Harbour is the constituency of Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee and today’s incident has sent ripples across the political fraternity.
Meanwhile, the TMC on Thursday claimed that they had received information that saffron camp activists had “instigated” people to create unrest. Senior TMC leader Subrata Mukherjee sought to know if it was an attempt by the BJP to divert attention from “the historic launch” of the ruling party’s report card.
“Mr J P Nadda has alleged that he was attacked. But we have information that provocation came from him, his own party men… It is necessary to find out if the whole episode was planned by the BJP,” the state panchayat minister told reporters at Trinamool Bhavan. Urging TMC activists to “avoid stepping into their (BJP’s) trap despite provocation, Mukherjee said.
“We would like to ask our men to keep distance from them.” “Was the alleged attack planned to overshadow today’s event, arranged to highlight the achievements of the Mamata Banerjee government?” he said.
With PTI inputs
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