Public rattling of sabre intensified as Bengal rural elections closed in triggering unprecedented heated exchanges between Trinamool Congress and BJP. On Sunday, the ruling party returned fire at the saffron outfit for threatening to take the panchayat polls to the crematorium asserting the Trinamool controlled all the burning ghats of the State.
In an apparent preview of what held in store particularly in districts where both the outfits had their heels well dug in, Trinamool strongman Anubrata Mondal infamous for his macabre speeches intentionally punctuated with “loot”, “dismemberment of limbs” and “bombing police vehicles” — said “no BJP will be able to stand our might. If we show our metal then they will not be able to stand on their feet.”
He added all the burning ghats were controlled by the ruling outfit, when reminded of State BJP president Dilip Ghosh’s loaded statement that this time round the fight for panchayat elections would be carried till the crematoriums.
He said, “If they think that the fight will end at the booth level they are wrong, We will stretch it to crematoriums,” even as the Trinamool promptly brought murder charges against the BJP followed by arrests for murder of local panchayat leaders at East Midnapore, Nadia and elsewhere.
Five BJP men were arrested for the murder of a Trinamool vice chairman at Bhagwanpur panchayat in East Midnapore, police said even as Bengal Minister Partho Chatterjee said no reference of crematoriums or burial grounds would yield results for the BJP because in Bengal there was no alternative to Mamata Banerjee.
“They want to flare up the atmosphere by talking about burial grounds and crematoriums. But that won’t fetch any electoral benefits as theydon’t have any organisation at the ground level,” the Minister said.
Meanwhile in an apparent recognition to former Railway Minister Mukul Roy’s organizational prowess the BJP appointed him the convener of the panchayat committee for the coming elections with former MlA Samik Bhattacharya as the co-convener.
Once Mamata Banerjee’s Man Friday and the second in command inTrinamool Congress Roy left that party last year to join the BJP