-Asim Kumar Mitra, from Kolkata
It is because of the inner party bickering of the Trinamool Congress has come down to such a stage that the Muslims living in North Bengal are very much eager to join the BJP. The reason behind this is that the ruling party has been sharply divided into two factions. One headed by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself and the leadership of the other faction is handled by the Youth TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee. Incidentally, he is a cousin of Mamata Banerjee; The peculiarity of both groups is that the majority of their members are all Muslims. During the recent Panchayat election with the help of these young Muslims TMC swept the election. Not a single member of other parties was elected. For this, they think that credit goes to the young Muslims. Hence they demanded the lion’s share of power & position which was unacceptable to the Chief Minister.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has kept mum on the kilings of BJP workers
She had diverted the matter in a different line so that even the young Muslims could also be misguided. She was successful to a great extent they have agreed to take steps to suppress the movement launched by the BJP. Oppression and attacks were going on the BJP workers. But as the general demand of the Abhishek group was not fulfilled, they become very much agitated, and belligerence took the upper hand. Chief Minister’s effort to neutralise the situation did not work. Hence BJP is being sandwiched by both the factions.
Target by Choice
On the other hand, for the last eight months, BJP workers of North Bengal were especially targeted by the TMC to intimidate them for not involving themselves in the anti-administration movement by taking out Rath Yatra. Now it is an open secret that the ruling party Trinamool Congress (TMC) has already lost a great section of their vote bank to BJP in North Bengal. They are very much disturbed with this kind of development. Hence TMC supremo and chief minister Mamata Banerjee now and then making her programme to visit different parts of North Bengal. Currently, she is busy with the birth centenary celebration of Mother of Matua community. The loss of power base in that community was so much that the eldest son of the Mother, Manjul Krishna, a minister in the cabinet of Mamata Banerjee, had resigned from the post and a few months ago he had joined BJP. But the fear-complex was so much that Mamata had ordered her henchmen to invite Manjul Krishna to attend the centenary celebration. Whether he is going to attend the function or not, that is to be seen.
In any case, the ruling party is very much active in pursuing atrocious acts against the leaders and cadres of BJP to intimidate them and with a motive to teach the BJP cadres a fitting lesson for going against the ruling party. But the undaunted BJP cadres are determined to give them a proper reply through its proposed Rath Yatra.
The Bengal BJP is not taking chances over the scheduled Rath Yatras lined up in the state from December 6. Apart from planning to move the high court on November 15, 2018. BJP is sending a list of party workers killed in political violence to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, seeking the Centre’s intervention to prevent a fresh spate of attacks on its workers ahead of Rath Yatras.BJP will also send a list of party workers `killed and absconding since the Panchayat polls to chief election commissioner Om Prakash Rawat.
It is worth mentioning here that the Kolkata edition of The Times of India reported on November 14, had published on page 6, the following report: “The party (BJP) has started creating lists of workers killed and absconding in the past eight months. ‘In Nadia alone, 11 party workers were killed nearly 500 are absconding fearing attacks and false police cases on them. In Cooch Behar, seven party workers killed. In all more than 42 party workers have been killed and around 800 had fled their homes’, said a leader.”
“The attacks on opposition workers reflect the reason why we have named the Rath Yatra as save democracy rally,” said Dilip Ghose, President of Bengal BJP.
