BJP bid to march towards Mamata Banerjee’s residence foiled

Read | West Bengal: ‘Trinamool supporters’ attack BJP leader Roopa while she visits ‘poll violence victim’

The march, which began a little after 2 pm, saw BJP supporters walking from Jatin Das Park to Harish Chatterjee Street. The police stopped the rally, also attended by actors-turned-BJP leaders Roopa Ganguly and Locket Chatterjee, at Ashutosh Mukherjee Road.

Following this, BJP called off the march.

“There is no district or village where members of the Opposition have not been beaten up by Trinamool goons. Many have been rendered homeless. We wanted to go to the CM to apprise her of the situation. Police have stopped us from doing so… I advise them (policemen) that instead of stopping us, they must go and stop the goons,” Ghosh said.

“We as law abiding citizens have decided to call off the protest as of now. We will continue the movement in other forms,” he added.

He added that the party was considering to boycott Mamata’s swearing-in ceremony on May 27 and observe it as ‘Kala Divas’ (black day). “We may also call a bandh on that day,” he claimed, adding that the state party unit would request national BJP leaders, who are being invited for Mamata’s swearing-in ceremony, to stay away from the event.

“It is the responsibility of the newly-elected government to ensure that workers of Opposition parties are not attacked… BJP will launch demonstrations in districts if the state administration did not take proper steps on post-poll violence… Trinamool wants an Opposition-free government, which is not possible,” Ghosh said.

Senior BJP leader Jayprakash Majumder said all parties should come together to join BJP’s protest. “After the elections, we are the first party to hit the streets to protest post-poll violence. We think all parties should join us. We may have different ideologies but this is a fight against state-sponsored atrocities,” he added.

“If the workers of other parties are not being allowed by their respective parties to protest, they should join us in the fight. We are in power at the Centre and will give them protection. Mamata Banerjee doesn’t have any power outside the state,” he added.

“During elections in Bengal, a woman booth agent belonging to an Opposition party was heckled and molested by members of a party that has not only returned to power with a huge majority but also has a woman at its helm. When another woman (Ganguly) visits the victim, the party leader is attacked,” Majumder said.

Ganguly was heckled and her convoy attacked allegedly by Trinamool supporters in South-24 Parganas district’s Kakdwip area where she had gone to meet an alleged post-poll violence victim.