By IANS,
Kolkata: The West Bengal unit of the BJP Saturday accused the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress of following the path of violence much like its predecessor Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
“The way Trinamool and the CPI-M are engaging in the politics of violence in West Bengal, it seems that Bengal is again returning to the era of 1971-72,” Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Rahul Sinha said here.
“It seems that Trinamool leaders have received training under the CPI-M leaders…to me it appears that Trinamool supremo (Mamata Banerjee) might have received training from Communist leader and ex-chief minister of West Bengal late Jyoti Basu when he was alive” Sinha said.
The BJP also charged the Trinamool with carrying out atrocities against its workers.
“Our workers are being attacked across the state, two of our party offices in West Medinipur district were ransacked by Trinammol Congress cadres. One of our workers was shot at in Chakda and it is being alleged that Trinamool was behind it,” he said.
Condemning the April 9 attack in Delhi on state Finance Minister Amit Mitra, Sinha said: “After losing power, the CPI-M no more has the guts to carry on violence here. So it hired goons in Delhi.”
He also criticised the Congress-led central government of failing to provide adequate security to the chief minister.
Sinha appreciated the role of West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan in the entire episode and CPI-M leaders Prakash Karat and Biman Bose to “immediately withdraw” the letter that they had submitted to President Pranab Mukherjee complaining against the governor.
“We think Biman Bose should apologise to the governor,” said Sinha.
Narayanan used strong words as he expressed shock over the “pre-meditated assault” on Banerjee and the state minister in and asked the CPI-M politburo to tender a public apology, following which Karat in his letter to the president wrote: “The West Bengal governor issued a statement which is unwarranted and does not behove the post of the governor of a state.”