Alleging widespread irregularities and violence during the recently concluded panchayat election, the West Bengal BJP unit on Wednesday took out a mega rally in Kolkata. Even though the police did not give any formal permission for the rally, the senior BJP leadership, including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar and party national vice-president Dilip Ghosh participated in it.
The procession from College Street to Esplanade was a show of strength of the saffron party which has registered a sharp decline in the panchayat election — from 38% in the 2021 Assembly poll to 22 % in the recently concluded rural polls.
“During the three-stage panchayat polls, there was loot at all the three stages, from filing nomination papers, to elections to even the counting of votes. We will protest against this. I would urge the party president to organise protests in the villages where people could not vote,” Mr. Adhikari said. Mr. Majumdar announced that on Friday, the BJP supporters will lay siege outside the office of the Block Development Officers (BDOs) in the rural habitations of the State.
July 21 is the day when the Trinamool Congress holds its annual Matryrs’s Day rally in Kolkata and thousands of supporters of the ruling party assemble in Kolkata to hear party chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Preparations for the rally has already started and Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal visited the site.
On Wednesday, five women MPs of the BJP also visited the areas affected by violence, including Amta in Howrah district. They visited the house of BJP supporter which was set on fire on the day of counting of votes. The State BJP leadership has been alleging that 11 of its supporters were killed and hundreds were injured in the violence.
Ms. Banerjee visited the SSKM Hospital and met her party workers who were at the receiving end of the violence at Nandigram and Khejuri in Purba Medinipur district. “BJP couldn’t defeat us electorally, and have, therefore, resorted to violence and thrashed our party workers. Some of them are burnt badly too. Our Ministers are in touch with the victim’s families and we will provide them with all necessary aid,” Ms. Banerjee said.
₹2 lakh compensation
The Chief Minister said that the State government is providing ₹2 lakh compensation and a job to one of the family members to all those who have lost their lives in the violence during the panchayat elections be it pre-poll, or post-poll or during the election day.
While the Chief Minister has said that 19 persons had died in the violence, the number of deaths since the notification of rural polls had crossed 50.
“BJP’s sole focus is to create unrest, violence, and divide society. They have no other job, apart from indulging in destructive politics. However, INDIA [Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance] is ready for the battle, and BJP will get a decisive reply. The people will reply to BJP, INDIA will face the battle,” the Chief Minister said referring to the united platform of Opposition parties which was named INDIA in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
