KOLKATA: Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh on Sunday warned of “many Sitalkuchis” if there were “excesses” in Bengal, saying “dustu chheles (naughty boys)” had fallen prey to bullets on Saturday. His comments, a day after Bengal’s bloodiest day of elections, drew a sharp response from TMC, who demanded his arrest.
“If there is any excess, Sitalkuchi will be repeated everywhere),” Ghosh said while addressing a rally in Baranagar. He, however, termed the deaths “unfortunate.” Ghosh said Bengal would have no place for naughty boys if BJP forms the government. “Those who think the central forces have brought the guns just to show off, are mistaken,” he added.
“On April 17, there will be central forces guarding the booths. If anyone tries to scare you, we are here,” he said.
Ghosh alleged that TMC was trying to play politics with the bodies, adding that the Election Commission had done the right thing by stopping political functionaries from entering the area. Mocking CM Mamata Banerjee for her plastered leg, Ghosh said she is trying to garner sympathy. “Her legs are fine, yet she has wrapped a bandage around it. But people have made up their mind and decided to choose Sada Dari (white beard, alluring to PM Modi) over Sada Sari (white sari of Mamata Banerjee).”
Ghosh’s statements evoked strong reactions from TMC. The party’s Rajya Sabha chief whip, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, said: “We want the immediate resignation of home minister Amit Shah and the arrest of Dilip Ghosh.” Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee said: “The PM yesterday expressed grief. His colleague Dilip Ghosh today said today the incident will be repeated. None of the people there was even carrying a stick.”