Ahead of panchayat polls in West Bengal, the political ground of the state is heating up with BJP and TMC showing their might. BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari and TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee took on the other's home turf on Saturday, reported PTI.
Violence marked both areas, leading to the death of three people in a blast near the venue of Banerjee's rally, whereas vandalism and arson rocked the area where Suvendu Adhikari addressed a public meeting.
Suvendu Adhikari’s Rally
Addressing the meeting in South 24 Parganas's Diamond Harbour, the Lok Sabha constituency of Banerjee, Adhikari asked BJP workers to be prepared for a "big battle" with a focus on the panchayat poll.
The panchayat elections in the state are due to be held early next year.
Adhikari alleged that BJP candidates were not allowed to file their nominations in the 2018 panchayat elections and warned that this time around the "game" will be a different one.
"You decide the names of candidates from the villages and we will ensure that they are able to file their nominations," he told BJP workers. He added that he would hold a huge rally in this district again this month."
Rejecting TMC’s claim of no help from the Centre, Adhikari said that Rs 19,000 crore was given to the state by the Centre this month.
"The Centre has given funds under PM Awas Yojana, Samagra Shiksha Mission, and PM Gram Sadak Yojana," he said.
Ahead of the rally, clashes broke out in the nearby Hatuganj area when a bus with BJP supporters was allegedly stopped by TMC supporters.
Vehicles were set ablaze, stones were hurled, and a TMC office was also torched as violence broke out in the area. A heavy police force team had to intervene to bring the situation under control.
TMC Leader Abhishek Banerjee’s Rally
TMC’s second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee addressed a rally in Purba Medinipur's Kanthi, near Adhikari’s residence. He called Adhikari a 'RAC' Leader of Opposition, hinting at the railway's ‘Reservation Against Cancellation’ rule for seats.
Banerjee maintained that Adhikari’s election victory in Nandigram over Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was under a legal challenge. He alleged that Adhikari had won the election by "unfair means", and claimed that fresh elections would lead to his "befitting" defeat.
"He claims to have defeated the CM. He calls her a compartmental CM. Before name-calling Mamata Banerjee he must realise that he himself is a RAC opposition leader. He is the only MLA in India, whose victory is still under trial," the TMC's national general secretary said.
"You took to 'load shedding' (power black-out) to win the Nandigram election... media had telecast that Mamata Banerjee won the elections. Take it from me that if there is a fresh election in Nandigram, people here will give a befitting reply," he added.
The TMC leader added that he met some villagers belonging to the SC and ST communities on the way to the rally venue.
"They told me that they don't even have a roof over their head, and when it rains, the water stays for months. Nothing happened when they complained to the pradhan and his deputy," he said, asking them to resign within 48 hours. He warned that if demands are not met, the state government would act as per the law.
Tension mounted in the area after three people, including a TMC worker, were killed and several others injured in a blast at a house in Bhupatinagar, just 1.5 km from the venue of the rally.
The blast happened on Friday night, and the bodies were recovered on Saturday morning, police said, reported PTI. The impact of the blast was such that the Kuchcha house was blown off, they said.
ALSO READ: Rajasthan Shootout: Family Of Man Killed In Sikar Demands Justice, BJP Kisan Morcha Joins Protest
While Adhikari demanded an NIA probe alleging that the explosion happened accidentally when TMC workers were making crude bombs, Banerjee claimed this was what the BJP meant by "December dhamaka".
Banerjee said, "They wanted to bomb my rally. But I won't run away like them."
Abhishek Banerjee Criticised Actor Paresh Rawal
Criticising actor Paresh Rawal for his statement, Banerjee said, "He said that Bengalis are Bangladeshis. Why is the BJP silent on Paresh Rawal's insulting remarks against Bengalis? Why isn't Adhikari babu saying anything? Where is the urgency in filing FIR against someone who has insulted Bengalis?"
(With PTI Inputs)