Kolkata: While Kerala is witnessing a deluge of political rallies ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, it is a different scenario in the erstwhile Communist citadel West Bengal.
The Trinamool Congress-ruled state is witnessing a war over permission to hold political rallies. At present, the battle is between BJP and TMC while political pundits say that it will be the same case with CPM and Congress also.
The ruling party's reason for denying permission to hold rallies is that Class X and XII board examinations are in progress and the political programmes will have an impact on traffic and hit students' future. However, Opposition parties are not buying this argument.
In a new twist to the fight for the right of political parties to hold rallies, the BJP’s youth wing, despite all attempts by TMC to stop it, on Sunday took out bike rallies across West Bengal to campaign for the upcoming general elections 2019. Amid several hurdles in its mass outreach programmes, the state unit of BJP, which has set a target of winning over 23 of 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, is making all efforts to woo the voters.
After a long tussle with the state government and several pleas to both Supreme and Calcutta High Court, the saffron camp had to cancel their proposed rath yatra across the state from December as the court refused permission.
The BJP had earlier decided to hold three “ganatantra bachao yatra (save democracy rally)” rath yatras from Cooch Behar on December 7, from Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district on December 9 and from Tarapith temple in Birbhum district on December 14 to protest against the alleged atrocities of the Trinamool Congress government.
Following the ‘red flag’ to the rath yatras by the single bench of the Calcutta High Court, the dates of the rallies were changed but that too was stalled.
After cancelling the chariot rallies, the state BJP had decided to conduct more mass meetings by bringing central leaders and heavyweights of the party.
But no sooner did the saffron camp announce their schedule to hold mass meetings across the state, than the ruling TMC government refused to give permission for landing helicopters of their leaders citing security issues. Again after a ‘political war’ with the TMC, the saffron camp had to keep their programmes on hold.
The BJP has now worked out a different way to reach out to the electorates in different corners through bike rally, which the party has termed as ‘Vijay Sankalp’.
The last civic body polls in the state had witnessed violence and several murders of young activists cutting across political hues.
Talking to Onmanorama, BJP youth wing president Debjit Sarkar said, “We will conduct this as part of our 'save democracy' rallies. The Trinamool Congress government had tried to create impediments in our path, but we will not stop. We will go throughout the state informing the people about the atrocities and violence of TMC.”
Meanwhile, clashes between the BJP workers and police were reported across the state following the party’s bike rallies leaving several BJP men injured.
Launched by Amit Shah, the bike rallies are part of the party’s nationwide outreach campaign ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
In Kolkata, police intercepted the rally on Central Avenue, Jorabagan, Kakurgachi and other important points, while disruptions were reported from North 24 Parganas, Howrah, West Burdwan, South Dinajpur, Cooch Behar and West Medinipur districts.
BJP leader and Union minister Babul Supriyo, who led the bike rally in Baraboni, accused the police of attempts to stop the event.
“West Bengal police tried so hard to obstruct BJPs peaceful #VijaySankalpaBikeRally at Amdiha More, Baraboni but how could they have stopped us when we had the support of the people with us?’ tweeted Supriyo.
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said around 100 such rallies were being organised in Bengal.
“I have flagged off a rally in Durgapur. Workers are being arrested and such arrests will take place everywhere. But we will be successful. We haven’t violated any law. No matter, we will not stop our bike rallies,” said Ghosh.
Ghosh also alleged that the violence by the TMC clearly indicates the fear of the ruling party due to the growing popularity of the saffron camp in Bengal.
Several BJP workers and at least five policemen, including a DSP, were injured in a clash that broke out in Goaltore area of West Midnapore district on Sunday as the BJP men were stopped by police when they were holding a motorcycle rally.
BJP leadership had claimed that police had attacked and lathicharged them without any reason. However, police claimed that they were forced to cane charge to control the situation as police were attacked.
"BJP men were holding a rally without taking any permission and when police stopped them at Goaltore they attacked cops and pelted stones in which five cops were injured. To control the situation we were forced to lathicharge the crowd,” said Alok Rajoria, SP of West Midnapore.
However, BJP district president Samit Dash claimed police had lathicharged them without any reason. "More than 40 people of our party were injured in the attack. We were holding a rally and police had forcefully stopped that and started to beat our men. The men from Trinamool Congress were also with police, " he claimed.
"What happened today is right. BJP are trying to create disturbance in the area and police stopped them. It is BJP men who have attacked police and cops have taken the right decision, " said Uttara Singh Hazra, Trinamool Congress leader and Sabhadhipati of West Midnapore Zila Parishad.