Senior BJP leader and Union Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad on Thursday accused the TMC-led-government in West Bengal of “throttling” the voice of dissent in the state and resorting to suppression of legitimate political opposition “even by killing”.
He claimed that in the last two-three years, 115 BJP workers have been killed without inviting “any authentic action” from the state police.
Prasad condemned the “barbaric police attack” on the BJP march to the state secretariat in which, he said around 1500 workers and many senior party office bearers were injured and hospitalised when they were undertaking a “peaceful protest” .
He even alleged: 'I have been told that the water (water cannons) had some chemical in it which is why people have been vomiting.'' Prasad said outside West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee speaks about preserving democracy and freedom but back home she was not allowing any space to the opposition voice.
“Besides the BJP even CPM members are also being beaten ..”, he said and quoted past incidents when even then BJP president Amit Shah’s helicopter was “not allowed to land” and last minute “changes” were made in the Prime Minister’s meeting venue.Prasad said despite the state violence, BJP has won 18 Lok Sabha seats and would form the next government in the state as “ people are yearning for a change”
.He took to task the ‘liberals’ who he said keep their mouth shut on the ‘anti-democratic actions’ in West Bengal, Kerala or Rajasthan but speak aloud when incidents took place in the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh where the state government “not only allowed opposition to visit the village in Hathras but on its own also sought a “Supreme Court monitored probe” into the alleged murder of a girl .
Not keen to field queries on Lok Janshakti Party’s relationship with the BJP, Prasad said BJP leaders in Bihar have made it amply clear that BJP-JDU-VIP alone are partners in the NDA alliance.