TMC slams Bengal BJP for ‘stoking fire’ amid efforts to restore peace

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress on Saturday slammed Bengal BJP’s attempts to allegedly stoke fire amid attempts by the state to normalise pockets where protests were taking place over controversial remarks made about Prophet Muhammad.
TMC spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Ray said: “A few wannabe leaders have taken it upon themselves to deliberately foment trouble. This problem, in the first place, is their own making. They have already earned India a bad name worldwide, and dissent at home. They should first arrest the persons who led to this. Bengal is a peaceful state. Any attempt to create trouble will be dealt with strongly.”
Ray’s comments came after a day-long drama that ended in the arrest of Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, along with 29 BJP workers. All of them were later released on bail.
A large police team from Bidhannagar Commissionerate had reached Majumdar’s New Town home around 11am. Guard rails were put up in front of his house and cops barricaded the exit. Majumdar got into a heated exchange with the force and, around 2pm, tried to push through them, leading to his security guards and party workers getting into a scuffle with the police. In the next 10 minutes, the leader got in his car and left his residence.
At 3pm, the convoy was stopped after it crossed the Maa flyover and was going towards the Police Training School. Majumdar got down and started walking towards second Hooghly Bridge, flanked by his guards and three party workers. Meanwhile, a large contingent of RAF and policemen were posted near the bridge’s entrance. As Majumdar approached the bridge, DCP (South) Akash Magharia requested him to stop. After he refused, he was put in a prison van that was waiting nearby.
Majumdar had earlier in the day spoken to governor Jagdeep Dhankhar requesting him to apprise the Centre of the developments Bishnupur MP Saumitra Khan,too, wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking intervention of central forces.
BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh made his way to the Manasatala BJP office, which was gutted on Friday, in the morning. Priyanka Tibrewal, who was on her way to the Uluberia party office, was also stopped by cops for a while near the second Hooghly Bridge before being allowed to proceed.
Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim reacted sharply to the developments. “Instead of finding fault with the state administration to quell escalating tension in some parts, state BJP leaders should raise the demand for immediate arrest of Nupur Sharma and Navin Jindal,” he said. Hakim said the state administration was on alert to deal with any un-toward situation and didn’t need any assistance from the Centre.
Hakim also condemned the incidents that had created problems for the common man. “Those who have blocked national highways and tried to create a stalemate in a few pockets are BJP agents. We don’t support such destructive activities,” he said.
Ray, TMC’s Rajya Sabha chief whip, also questioned statements by BJP leaders demanding Army deployment. “Didn’t they deploy the Army in Kashmir? Didn’t we see what happened? The state administration — particularly CM Mamata Banerjee — is dealing with the pockets of unrest with a firm hand. What does BJP want for Bengal? This is all part of their script for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to create fault lines in society,” he said.