BJP holds West Bengal-wide protests against poll violence

Gaining in confidence as its vote share appreciated in Bengal, the BJP—that shoved the once mighty Left Front to an ignominious third spot post panchayat elections —has quickly moved on to consolidate its status as the principal Opposition launching on Friday a State-wide protest movement against electoral violence perpetuated by the ruling Trinamool Congress.

Hundreds of BJP men gheraoed police stations in Kolkata and districts demanding immediate arrest and death penalty for the alleged Trinamool goons who murdered an 18-year-old tribal member of the party in Balrampur block of Purulia district in Jangalmahal area bordering Jharkhand.

A day after Balrampur witnessed a complete shutdown responding to a bandh call given by the BJP the saffron workers on Monday descended on streets gheraoing police stations and organising rallies in large numbers.

“There is no democracy in Bengal which has suffered the most in the hands of Trinamool Congress,” State party president Dilip Ghosh told a rally at Girish Park in Kolkata. “The bureaucrats and police have been politicised and the entire dispensation has been criminalised as never before. There is no room for the opposition outfits.

“They did not even spare an 18-year-old boy was strangulated to death by the Trinamool goons who left a threat letter telling death was the only punishment for joining BJP. And still the police are not arresting them,” Ghosh thundered saying the BJP had the organisational prowess to give the same treatment to the Trinamool men “but we are a democratic party and we will not do it.” He added the BJP had occupied the second place and soon the party would win power in Bengal.

BJP nearly uprooted the Trnamool from Purulia and neighbouring Jhargram districts in the recently concluded panchayat elections. In Purulia the saffron outfit has won more seats than the ruling party. “We have nearly rid the Jangalmahal of Trinamool and soon we will throw them out of Bengal,” Ghosh maintained.