A day after Bengal Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari’s cavalcade was attacked by a band of Trinamool Congress supporters at Baruipur in South 24 Parganas yet another BJP MLA Nikhil Dey was on Wednesday attacked at Dinhata in North Bengal.
The incident took place outside the Dinhata court, sources said. “I had gone to appear before a judge regarding an old case and was sitting with some advocates waiting for my turn to be called in … suddenly dozens of TMC men ran towards me and raised slogans … they chased me even attacked me … I called up t he local police station and they sent only three police men for my security … and even those police men would do nothing as the TMC goons threw rotten eggs and stones at my car … the windshield of my car was completely damaged,” Dey said adding, “this is a continuation of the recent attacks on the BJP leadership like the one that was orchestrated against our Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari at Baruipur.
Meanwhile, the BJP workers staged statewide agitation against Wednesday’s attack on Adhikari, blockading roads at Asansol, Kulti, Howrah and parts of North Bengal sources said. Saffron workers raised slogans and carried out long processions in Hooghly, and East Midnapore districts too condemning the attack on Adhikari. In Kolkata the BJP MLAs once again staged a walkout from the State Assembly protesting against Wednesday’s violent incident. Adhikari had gone to Baruopur the constituency of Speaker Biman Banerjee to protest against his “blatant partiality inside the Assembly.” He was scheduled to address a public meeting. When his cavalcade approached hundreds of TMC workers surrounded his convoy and raised slogans and hurled filthy abuses on him, Adhikari complained.
Calling the Wednesday’s incident an “attempt on my life” Adhikari later said, “the Speaker does not allow us to raise our voices regarding the miseries of the Hindu Santanis inside the House … sometimes we are suspended and on other occasions our microphones are turned off … so we had decided to hold a meeting at Baruopur and tell the voters about the way he conducts himself inside the House … but the TMC men attacked us and rained at least 20 lathi blows on my vehicle … I would have been injured had I not been inside my car.” Adhikari has given a call to gherao the SP office on March 27.
The recent incidents take place amid a highly polarized atmosphere with the BJP trying to build up a temp ahead of the Ram Navami with an apparent view on the next year’s Assembly elections. “We will see that at least one crore Hindus will descend on the streets on Ram Navami and celebrate the festival showing their religious solidarity,” Adhikari while giving a call to impose President’s Rule in Bengal said.
