The saga of political violence in Bengal reached a new low with alleged Trinamool Congress members on Thursday attacking the convoy of BJP president JP Nadda and other senior saffron leaders, including Kailash Vijayvargiya, Mukul Roy and State party president Dilip Ghosh.
Nadda, who was riding a bulletproof vehicle, escaped unhurt. But Roy and some other local leaders received minor injuries, sources said adding one BJP man got a fractured forehead. The attack triggered widespread criticism with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who otherwise enjoys a good personal chemistry with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, raising serious concern over the falling law and situation of the State.
Reacting to the incident Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, “Bengal has descended into an era of tyranny, anarchy and darkness under the Trinamool rule. The manner in which political violence has been institutionalised and brought to the extreme in West Bengal under TMC rule is sad and worrying.”
The incident took place post noon when Nadda’s vehicle was going past Sirakol More en route to the port town of Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas. When the convoy approached the junction hundreds of slogans shouting men carrying Trinamool flags pelted stones and full-sized bricks at the vehicles smashing the windows and windshields.
The TMC activists stopped the BJP workers on motorbikes, threw them on the ground, and rained blows on them in front of the media men some of who intervened to rescue them.
Diamond Harbour falls in the Parliamentary constituency of Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of the Chief Minister.
While one broken bottle pierced through the window of Ghosh’s vehicle hitting one of his personal security staff, stones flying in from all sides smashed the windows of almost all the vehicles.
Locals said the attack came from a TMC rally which was initially led by district leaders like Saukat Mollah and Sonali Guha, an MLA.
Soon after the attack, Nadda came out all guns blazing against the Chief Minister and his party saying, “This attack on the convoy has only strengthened my resolve and I will visit all the districts and all the 294 Assembly segments and hold rallies there.”
“What I saw, is the highlights of the anarchy prevailing under in Mamata raj … We were able to reach here because of the blessings of Maa Durga. TMC workers left no stones unturned to stop or finish us. This is not a democracy but ‘goondaraj,” he said.
Nadda had on Wednesday questioned the State’s law and order situation after been black-flagged by a group of people in Kolkata protesting against the farm laws on Thursday.
“There is no law and order in Bengal … Is this the kind of the democracy we have in Bengal… It seems the law and order has completely collapsed in the State,” he said, vowing to decimate the ruling party in the coming elections.
Hours later Abhishek Banerjee who was addressing a rally at Arambagh in Hooghly some 60 miles away said the Trinamool had nothing to do with the attack adding “it was a sudden expression of popular anger against the BJP leaders,” and apparently setting the tone and tenor of a future police investigation. The BJP leadership had come to Bengal to spread hatred “if they really have the courage why do not they publish their report card showing their performance in the past six years of their rule.”
Soon a police release said that the Nadda had reached safely at the venue at Diamond Harbour. “Nothing happened to his convoy. Few bystanders at Debipur, Falta PS, Diamond Harbour PD, sporadically and suddenly threw stones towards vehicles trailing long behind his convoy. Everyone is safe and the situation is peaceful. The matter is being investigated to find out actual happenings.”
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar who said that incident took place despite his alerting the Chief Secretary and DGP about possible untoward incidents later tweeted tagging the Chief Minister, “Concerned at alarming reports of anarchy and lawlessness @MamataOfficial indicating ruling party harmads on rampage at BJP President Convoy and political police @WBPolice in support. This happening in spite of my alerts to CS & DGP early morning indicated the collapse of law & order.”
Talking about the attackers he said, “Am sure they have immunity and protection of political police with administration extension of political outfit. As a constitutional head I share my shame with you as it is on account of your acts of omission and commission.”
Friday, 11 December 2020 | Saugar Sengupta | Diamond Harbour
