BJP alleges pre-planned conspiracy in Adhikari’s PA murder

The BJP on Thursday accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of fostering a “mafia culture” and “maha jungle raj” in West Bengal following the killing of the personal assistant of senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.

Adhikari’s executive assistant, Chandranath Rath, was shot dead by bike-borne assailants who intercepted Rath’s vehicle near Doltala in Madhyamgram around 10.30 pm on Wednesday, forced it to stop and opened fire at point-blank range before fleeing.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that post-poll violence has been “institutionalised” in West Bengal over the last 15 years and claimed BJP workers and leaders are targeted whenever the TMC suffers electoral setbacks.

“The killing of the PA of Suvendu Adhikari ji is a direct result of the ‘maha jungle raj’ created in the last 15 years by the TMC. The manner in which post-poll violence has been institutionalised, whether in 2021 or now, shows a direct targeted killing. A pre-planned conspiracy was done to eliminate the PA of Suvendu Adhikari ji,” Poonawalla alleged.

Claiming that evidence emerging so far pointed towards a conspiracy, he said the TMC’s “frustration” over electoral losses is leading to targeted attacks against BJP leaders and workers.

“It is obvious that the frustration of losing elections has become so severe that they indulge in post-poll violence and targeted killings of BJP leaders and workers. This will not be tolerated,” he said.

The TMC condemned the killing and demanded a court-monitored CBI probe.

The BJP’s West Bengal unit president, Samik Bhattacharya, on Thursday described the killing of the close aide of the party’s senior leader Suvendu Adhikari as a “planned political murder” and claimed that it was designed to cause instability in the State.

“It was a targeted violence,” he told reporters at the Barasat Hospital where the post-mortem of Chandranath Rath was conducted. Referring to the shooting of another BJP leader, Rohit Roy, allegedly by “TMC-sheltered miscreants” in the Basirhat area of North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday, Poonawalla alleged that the incident further exposes the “mafia culture” of the TMC.

“After the brutal killing of the PA of Suvendu Adhikari ji, now yet another BJP leader, Rohit Roy, has been shot and he is critical. TMC means ‘total mafia culture’,” he charged.

Poonawalla also targeted Opposition parties, including the Congress, for their “silence” on the issue.

“It is sad that those who talk about the Constitution, the Congress party and others, are not condemning the TMC. TMC has become the mafia culture,” he said. He further asserted that those responsible for the incidents will face legal action once the BJP comes to power in the State.

“And as soon as the BJP Government comes to power, such elements will be made to pay the legal price for their actions,” Poonawalla said. West Bengal Police have appealed to people to maintain peace as tension soared in parts of North 24 Parganas district on Thursday following the incident, a senior officer said.

Police have stepped up security deployment in Madhyamgram, Doharia and adjoining localities after BJP supporters staged protests, demanding the immediate arrest of the assailants.

According to preliminary information, Rath’s car was intercepted near Doharia between Doltala and Madhyamgram Chowmatha around 10.15 pm on Wednesday by motorcycle-borne men who opened fire before fleeing. Rath (42), was returning to his residence in Madhyamgram from Kolkata when the incident occurred.

The deceased is survived by his son and wife. The vehicle was being driven by Buddhadeb Bera, who also sustained bullet injuries and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kolkata, another officer said.

In a statement, the TMC said violence and political killings have no place in a democracy, and the guilty must be held accountable at the earliest.

The party said three of its party workers had also been killed in separate incidents of post-poll violence allegedly carried out by “BJP-backed miscreants” over the last three days.

“We strongly condemn the brutal murder of Chandranath Rath in Madhyamgram tonight,” the statement said.

The killing comes at a time when Bengal remains volatile after one of the most bitterly fought assembly elections in recent years, with both the BJP and the TMC accusing each other of intimidation, attacks and retaliatory violence in several districts.