Elections in West Bengal have never been as violent prone as it has been during the campaign this time. Mamata who came to power claiming that she will put an end to the Left brand of politics, seems to have not only emulated everything the Left stands for but has even went further. While the Left indulges in politics of murder and fear behind the scenes, TMC with the arrogance of power has been attacking its political opponents in public and in the glare of media. Mamata who often speaks about democracy under danger, has turned WB into a state without free speech and now no freedom to campaign too.
BJP President Amit Shah’s rally in Kolkata drew huge response from supporters and commoners alike
A visibly rattled Mamata has been attacking the PM, BJP President Amit Shah in rally after rally without elaborating her own record of governance. Local administration in Bengal has repeatedly cancelled or not given permissions to BJP leaders to land or to hold a rally. But whenever a rally of a BJP leader has happened, the TMC cadre have ensured that it does not go unattacked in a bid to scare the people participating the rally away. What happened on 14th May in the heart of Kolkata is a shameful episode in the history of electoral politics of Bengal.
BJP National President Amit Shah held a road show in Kolkata on 14th evening. Thousands of BJP Karyakartas and supporters were part of the road show. As the convoy reached the Kolkata University, TMC goons attacked the road show by throwing sticks. BJP campaign posters were taken down and torn. Statue of Vidyasagar inside the college campus was broken and the TMC tried to blame the BJP for the same. However, video proof available proved the involvement of the TMC goons. Whats more startling is the collusion of the police with the TMC workers who were mere bystanders. The police did nothing as Amit Shah’s rally was attacked and vehicles were being torched. Lack of action by the police too has been captured on camera which are circulated widely on social media. The TMC held a press conference where CM Mamata claimed that it was the BJP which caused the violence and blamed that TMC workers were innocent. However, National Joint General Secretary of BJP BL Santosh exposed the crimes of TMC in a series of tweets. He narrated the sequence of events which led to the violence and thereafter. Below is a compilation of BL Santosh’s tweets.
“The sequence of events that unfolded during BJP National President Amit Shah’s Road show.
Road show began in a peaceful manner. It was huge. One of the biggest in Kolkata history. Some 25 TMC activists were there in Vidyasagar Rao compound with black flags. As the first line of road show approached the college, TMC activists started waving black flags and shouted anti-BJP slogans.
Senior leaders including Central Minister Dharmendra Pradhan requested the local police to round up protesters which was not done. Police were not only mute spectators but also co-ordinated the protests by directing them. Sticks were thrown from inside the college compound towards the road show and Amit Shah’s vehicle. Some youths in the rally retaliated to this TMC goondagardi. In full view of Police the TMC workers torched a bike parked nearby. TMC workers themselves destroyed the bust of Eswarachandra Vidyasagar which was well within the campus. This was their Taliban moment. When Mamata Bannerji came the destroyed bust was not in its original place.
Whole night Police have raided hotels, taken BJP workers into illegal custody including Tejinder Bagga. Not a single TMC goonda has been arrested till now. Mr Derek O’ Brien, your time is up. Your Party is totally anti democratic.“
Amit Shah’s rally was attacked by TMC goons injuring many. Posters of PM Modi were torn and vehicles torched
As narrated by BL Santosh, Delhi BJP leader Tajinder Bagga who was in Kolkata for Amit Shah’s rally was arrested from his hotel room without a warrant at 3AM. The reason for his arrest has also not been made public by the police. Spokesperson of the BJP addressed the media and charged that “Mamata Banerjee ordered a midnight crack down on several BJP leaders in Kolkata, who were picked up in the middle of night, without due process of law being followed. Tajinder Bagga and several others are now in TMC’s illegal detention.”
However, TMC and Mamata had claimed that BJP workers had vandalized the statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in the college. This claim was soon proven wrong by videos shot by many onlookers and students. Infact, a student of the Vidyasagar college, Biraj Narayan Roy, has posted his personal account of what exactly happened yesterday at the college. Here is the text of Biraj Narayan’s post which was originally in Bengali:
“I’m a student of Vidyasagar college. I’m a student of Kolkata University. But today TMCP (Trinamool Chhatra Parishad) used both these institutes for their heinous politics which is totally shameful. I live close to Vidyasagar college, hence have witnessed the entire incident closely. The BJP rally was peaceful. During the movement of the rally, the first brick was thrown from inside the college. Then after the rally passed by, it was the TMCP boys themselves who torched the bikes.
Now I’ll come to the destruction of the statue. The statue is kept quite inside the Bidhan Shoroni Campus of the Vidyasagar college. To reach the statue one has to cross two gates. First is an iron gate, then next is a wooden door. The college gate already had a lock on it. Then how was it possible for the BJP cadre to cross the gates and reach the statue? Plus the TMCP cadre was already present inside to throw bricks and stones. The entire incident is staged and imaginary.
TMCP cadre themselves first torched the bikes, broke the statue then called the media to show. Then the Kolkata police came and did lathi charge, common people walking on the road were caught and taken away. In the end I’d just say I’m feeling very ashamed to see the role of media/journalists being a student of journalism myself. I don’t think there’s need of saying much on this issue. Common people nowadays have started seeing journalism as a very low level occupation. And it seems even journalists are trying their level best to prove them right!“
Statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar inside the Vidyasagar college was vandalised allegedly by TMCP cadre. TMC has blamed the BJP but eyewitness accounts say it was the TMCP
Apart from Tajinder Bagga, Mamata’s police have arrested people for a cartoon on WB’s CM or a Facebook post against her. BJYM worker Priyanka Sharma was arrested last week for posting a meme of CM Mamata Banerjee. The SC granted her bail on Monday but the police released her 18 hours later only after making her sign on a apology letter. In September 2018, a BJP worker was arrested for commenting on Mamata in his Facebook post. In 2017, Ambikesh Mahapatra, a professor at Jadavpur University was arrested for circulating a cartoon of CM Mamata Banerjee. The list of those arrested for commenting and questioning Mamata is long. Several BJP workers have been murdered by TMC workers in the last 3 months. Their family members have been threatened with dire consequences. Ironically, Mamata’s favorite quote this election season is to save democracy but in reality it seems that it is West Bengal under her rule that needs to return to democracy so that people can live and vote without fear.
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