With an "arrogant" Trinamool Congress Government creating technical hurdles in the path of the BJP's November 30 Kolkata rally, to be addressed by party president Amit Shah, the Bengal party unit once again decided to move the Calcutta High Court in "quest of justice and enforcement of democratic rights of the people."
Even as the Kolkata Metropolitan Corporation, also run by the State ruling party creating a "Guinness record" by refusing permission "for the first time in the history of free India" to a political party its rightful demand to hold a public rally, State BJP president Rahul Sinha on Thursday said, "We will move the High Court once again and see the end of it, come what may, as we will not allow the State Government and the KMC to gag democracy in Bengal."
Earlier, the KMC showed trifle issues like planning, stair case, size and free space to be left around the stage, to refuse the saffron outfit permission for the said rally, apparently giving Kolkata Police a cause to follow suit.
The High Court acting on a petition by the BJP had directed the KMC and Fire Brigade to grant or deny permission to the BJP by November 27. The case was to be heard on November 28.
"This will perhaps find a place in the Guinness Book", Sinha said adding his party had "moved the court thrice to seek the venue and "every time the Government is hiding behind technicalities."
Sinha said, "We will raise the issue again before the High Court because there is only one institution that we have faith in Bengal" adding the party would never back out of its decision to hold the Sunday rally at Victoria House Crossing at Esplanade in central Kolkata.
The State BJP president had earlier said that the "meeting is on any way and if the Government or the police would stop us on unlawful grounds, then they will be held responsible for the consequences that will follow."
Victoria House Crossing can accommodate about three lakh people. The Government had been asking the BJP to hold the rally at some other place like Dorina Crossing which, however, did not have the capacity to accommodate such large number of people.
The BJP's argument is that there was ample precedence of the Kolkata Police allowing permission to the ruling party. The Trinamool had held its Martyrs' Day rally at the Victoria House Crossing on July 21. And "they did not need any clearance from either the KMC or the Fire Brigade."
When asked, the police said Trinamool's rally was a "different issue" as the rally was being held at the given place for the past several years.
Reacting to the proposed rally by a section of the Kolkata civil society members protesting against the recent arrest of Trinamool leaders by the CBI in connection with the Saradha case, Sinha said all the Trinamool leaders from top to bottom are steeped in corruption adding even a large section of pro-Trinamool intelligentsia were either thieves or being reared by the money stolen by the Trinamool politicians.
Calling upon the civil society members to desist from joining the rally "if you still have some honesty left in you" Sinha said "today the Trinamool is calling for saving the thieves, tomorrow they will call a rally to save dacoits, then rapist and finally they will take out rally to protect murderers."