Tejasvi Surya said the country’s “most corrupt government” is in West Bengal.
Kolkata:
BJP Yuva Morcha national president Tejasvi Surya on Thursday came down heavily on the West Bengal government over the “brutal attack” on BJP activists during their march to the state secretariat and said
it was a “black day as the rule of law has been murdered” in the state.
Mr Surya, the BJP MP from Bengaluru South, also sought an inquiry by the ministry of home affairs into the blue coloured water sprayed on the party activists during the rally calling it a “gross violation of human rights”.
“Today is a black day. The TMC government murdered the rule of law in the state. The way our cadres and leaders were attacked and beaten up mercilessly by the police is unprecedented. Don’t we have the right to conduct a peaceful rally in the state?” he said during a press meet here.
The law maker asserted that he would visit Bengal again and hold democratic protests to ensure that TMC is defeated in the assembly polls due in April-May next year.
Mr Surya said the country’s “most corrupt government” is in West Bengal where unemployment is rising due to the “syndicate and cut money government.”
“In the past two years over 120 BJP and BJP Yuva Morcha workers have been murdered brutally in the state. If a youth raises his voice against this, he is murdered.
“This is my first protest and we (BJP) will not stop till this (TMC) government is out of power” he said.
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh alleged that TMC dressed as policemen had hurled bombs at BJP cadres and wondered whether the Pandemic Act comes into effect only when the opposition conducts a political programme.
“The Pandemic Act comes into force only when BJP plans to conduct any rally or programme. When TMC conducts rallies and meetings, no rules are applicable. Bombs were hurled at our party cadres, the police mercilessly beat our leaders and cadres intending to kill them,” he alleged.
Asked about a BJP activist being arrested with a loaded handgun during the protest march in Howrah, Ghosh said he was a personal security officer of a BJP leader and was carrying a licensed gun.
“The TMC and some people are trying to malign us by using this incident,” he said.
The TMC leadership accused the saffron camp of trying to “unleash anarchy and communal riots” in the state.
“The BJP has today proved again that it is an unruly party. Can you show me one political rally where activists are found carrying firearms? The BJP should come clean on why its activist was carrying firearms. It wants to fuel riots in the state,” senior TMC leader and Minister Firhad Hakim said.
Reacting to allegations that chemical-laced water was sprayed at BJP activists, West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay said it was the same blue colour used during Holi. Spraying of coloured water during such agitations is an international practice to identify people after dispersals.
Police personnel in riot gear burst teargas shells, beat up agitators and used water cannons to break up the protests which continued in Kolkata and Howrah cities for more than three hours.
Parts of the two cities resembled a battle zone on Thursday as BJP workers and supporters clashed with police, hurled stones and blocked roads with burning tyres to protest against the killing of saffron party workers.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
