Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said West Bengal cannot prosper unless there is one government both at the State and Centre.
Mr. Adhikari, who is holding public rallies almost on a daily basis after joining the BJP on December 19, held one at Paschim Medinipur along with State party president Dilip Ghosh. The former TMC Minister continued to target Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee levelling allegations of corruption on his associates. He also said there were huge irregularities in Amphan relief. “Those who did not have any cattle got compensation for loss of cattle. Even people who had no betel leaf vines claimed compensation.”
Mr. Adhikari also said once the model code of conduct for the elections is enforced, the Trinamool hooligans who are trying to terrorise people will have to flee from the area. He said the State police will be posted 100 metres away from the polling booths which will be manned by the Central armed police forces. Mr. Ghosh accused the TMC of trying to take the help of former Maoist leaders to win elections. He was referring to former Maoist leader Chhatradhar Mahato who joined the TMC recently.
Mr. Mahato was the convener of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities ( PCAPA) and had played a crucial role in the siege of Lalgarh by the CPI(M) in 2009. He was arrested by the Left Front government on charges including the UAPA and was recently released from prison. Meanwhile, violence erupted in Kanthi area of Purba Medinipur district when the supporters of Mr. Adhikari were returning from the rally in the adjoining district.
The Kolkata police have denied permission to a road show of BJP leaders, former Mayor Sovan Chatterjee and his aide Baishaki Banerjee. The BJP has recently given key organisational roles to the BJP leaders who had joined the party in 2018 from the TMC. The police said holding a road show on Monday, first working day of the week, can lead to traffic snarls.
