With sit-in at Esplanade, BJP marks a year of poll violence

Addressing a public meeting held after the rally, Leader of Opposition in state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said unprecedented atrocities were carried out on BJP workers and supporters after the Assembly polls results, which were declared on May 2 last year.”

By: Express News Service
Kolkata | Updated: May 5, 2022 05:29 AM IST

2 min read

BJP supporters participate in ‘Ganatantra Pratistha Sankalp Rally’ to protest against the TMC government, in Kolkata Monday. PTI

The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday staged a protest in Kolkata to mark one year of post-poll violence in the state.

The sit-in was held as part of the party’s week-long agitations against the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government over alleged “deteriorating law and order situation” in the state. BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh, state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, Leader of Opposition in state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari and other senior BJP leaders were present during the demonstration at Esplanade in the city. Even disgruntled party MP Arjun Singh, who has criticised the Central government for “neglecting Bengal’s jute industry seeking Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s intervention in the matter, was also present.

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Addressing the protesters, Adhikari launched a scathing attack against the state government for its alleged failure to check rising incidents of violence. The BJP leader said that he will meet Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on May 10 along with the families of the party workers who were killed in various incidents.

“The state police have become a frontal organisation of the Trinamool Congress while the state election commission is a wing of the party. With the help of the state machinery, the TMC government is unleashing a reign of terror in West Bengal. There is no rule of law here. An atmosphere of violence and panic prevails. We urge the Central government to look into the situation and take a concrete action,” said Adhikari.

Adhikari said that an agitation against “dictatorial rule” will be held in every block of the state on May 8. “Thousands of people will take to the streets in protest. On May 10, I will go to Raj Bhawan to meet Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar with the families of the victims and plead for justice,” he added.

The sit-in was also organised in the memory of what they called the “martyrs of BJP” who were the victims of the post-poll violence for who the party also collected money.

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