Bengal polls: Basanti violence was result of Mamata Banerjee’s provocation, says BJP leader

Kolkata, March 27 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday claimed that the violence and clashes at Basanti in South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal in which a police sub-inspector of police was also thrashed by a group of miscreants allegedly linked to the ruling Trinamool Congress was a result of the provocative statements from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at an election campaign rally earlier in the day.

BJP’s Information Technology cell chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya issued a social media statement on Friday morning claiming that the tension at Basanti started minutes after the Chief Minister while addressing an election campaign rally at Pandaveswar in West Burdwan district on Thursday afternoon, called upon her party workers to arm themselves “with whatever was at home” to crush the opposition.

“Constant provocation by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is inciting violence. Yesterday in Pandaveswar, the TMC supremo openly sounded the bugle for a state-wide assault, urging her cadres to arm themselves with “whatever is at home” to crush the opposition. She had issued a similar call for violence the other day in North Bengal. THE BASANTI ATTACK FOLLOWED: Within minutes, a TMC hit squad, fuelled by her words, launched a barbaric attack on BJP karyakartas who were simply campaigning," claimed Malviya in his social media statement.

There, he also accused the local police administration of acting as mute spectators while the rampage allegedly by the ruling party activists was going on.

“The West Bengal Police stood by and watched. The situation cannot be allowed to get out of hand,” added Malviya, adding that the Election Commission of India (ECI) should take note and ensure that criminal elements within the Trinamool Congress were reined in.

The ECI has already sought reports on the Basanti violence on Thursday. Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel have been deployed in Basanti following the incident. A route march has been conducted by the CAPF in the area to quell panic among residents after the clashes.

--IANS

src/dpb