No hope for fair elections, BJP will win hearts: Supriyo

While Ganguly alleged that she had been attacked by Trinamool Congress workers, the ruling party claimed that it was the actress-turned-politician who had torn their party flag from a public meeting venue.

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“There is violence in different parts of the state,” Union Minister of State for Urban Development and BJP’s Asansol MP Babul Supriyo claimed while alleging that “a section of police are working like TMC cadres.”

He alleged that the police was turning a blind eye to complaints against ruling party members in different cases of poll-related violence. “In such a situation, I don’t see much hope for a free and fair election. The TMC had been unleashing terror on our workers almost everyday but yesterday, they crossed all limits when they attacked Rupa Ganguly. Shows the kind of mindset the TMC people have ahead of the polls. Going by this trend, we will not have any impressive result in the election which has turned into a farce but we will win a lot of hearts by the time the polls are over,” Supriyo claimed.

He said that he was ashamed of what had happened and that the police were doing what they were being forced to do and that only the common people now have the power to bring about a change.

About a dozen bikes and over 30 cars carrying state BJP leaders and supporters took out the rally in south Kolkata.
Along with Supriyo, state BJP president Rahul Sinha was also present at the meeting while Rupa led the rally riding pillion.

“These incidents of violence, especially when someone like Rupa Ganguly is attacked, raise the question, ‘how fair and free would the civic poll be?’” Sinha told newspersons at the end of the car rally.

TMC leaders, however, maintained they had nothing to do with it. “BJP leaders are making provision to put forward these excuses after they lose the civic polls. After they had been out campaigning they must have felt that they hardly have any support,” said state urban development minister Firhad Hakim.

In a late development, the State Election Commission (SEC) has taken suo motu action against the alleged attack on Rupa by the TMC supporters. It is learnt that although the SEC did not receive any formal complaint, it has decided to take action on the basis of the video footage televised in the media.

“We have written to Surajit Kar Purkayastha, the Commissioner of Police, with a copy to the District Magistrate of South 24 Parganas asking for a report on the incident. The questions we have asked are, whether permission was sought for the meeting; was there any lapses on the police’s part; have the police identified anyone; and if yes, what action has been taken against them,” said Susanta Ranjan Upadhyaya, the state election commissioner.