West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi has convened a meeting of the State’s four major political parties — the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress — to urge them to maintain peace and harmony in the State. The meeting will be held at the Raj Bhavan at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
Multiple incidents of violent clashes between supporters of different political parties have been reported from across the State following the announcement of the Lok Sabha election results, with several political activists killed in these clashes.
“[The meeting] will be useful in creating a harmonious situation whereby peace and harmony prevails in the State for the benefit of the citizens,” the Raj Bhavan said in a statement announcing the meeting. The Governor has invited Partha Chatterjee, secretary general of the TMC, Dilip Ghosh, president of the BJP’s State unit, Surjya Kanta Mishra CPI(M) State secretary and State Congress president Somendrnath Mitra to participate in the meeting.
Meanwhile, the political slug fest between the BJP and TMC continued on Wednesday, with the BJP’s march to Lalbazar, the headquarters of the Kolkata Police.
BJP march
A scuffle between the marchers and police personnel manning barricades led to clashes that saw the police using water cannons and tear gas to disperse hundreds of BJP supporters who broke through the barricades. The BJP leadership, however, alleged that the police had used force against peaceful protesters. A few BJP supporters including State general secretary Raju Banerjee took ill during the protest and had to be hospitalised.
“We were conducting a peaceful protest march, why did the police without any provocation use water cannons and fire tear gas shells,” asked BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya. “The TMC government is determined to create an atmosphere of violence and intimidation,” he asserted.
Normal life was brought to a standstill in central Kolkata ahead of the BJP’s march, with shops and commercial establishments shut and street vendors staying away from the roads. The march was called to protest an attack on BJP workers at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas on June 8, in which two BJP supporters and one TMC supporter were reportedly killed.
TMC leader and MP Abhishek Banerjee held a press conference alleging that the BJP was indulging in communal politics and claimed that the flare up in Sandeshkhali was a result of the incitement by BJP leaders, including party MPs.
