Even as a war of words ensued between the ruling Trinamool Congress and Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar for his unsolicited entry inside Jadavpur University on Thursday evening to rescue Union Minister Babul Supriyo from Left-wing student activists who heckled and assaulted him for more than five hours, State BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Friday called for a surgical strike on the university campus a la Pakistan on account of its turning anti-national.
He was reacting to posers regarding the vandalism carried out on Thursday night by BJP and ABVP supporters who broke open the university gates, ransacked the interiors and torched valuable items.
“I will say similar things will be repeated if they dare to touch any BJP leader, celebrity or Minister,” he said, adding “like JNU, JU too has become a hotbed of anti-national activities. The students who do such activities are no less than the terrorists of Pakistan. A surgical like the one carried out in Pakistan is needed inside JU.”
Another senior State party leader Sayantan Basu told at the end of an anti-Left, anti-TMC rally that “our leaders will visit Jadavpur University repeatedly and in case of a repeat of such incident we will assault them on the streets … or wherever we find them.”
Lambasting the girl students for being a part of the team gheraoing the singer-turned-Union Minister, Ghosh said, “These are shameless women otherwise how can they hug him tight during the melee. Their character is doubtful.”
Meanwhile, the Governor on Friday lashed out the ruling party, particularly senior Minister Partho Chatterjee who is also the TMC general secretary, for allegedly making statements without knowing the fact of it all.
Earlier Chatterjee had questioned the constitutional propriety of Dhankar’s action in entering JU campus without consulting the Government to rescue the Minister.
A release from the Raj Bhavan presumably reflecting the Governor’s mind “expressed relief” that as a result of his timely intervention an end to an unwholesome situation was brought about.
It said the Governor’s visit was rendered imperative as both Vice-Chancellor and the pro-Vice Chancellor had left the University “while the Union Minister Shri Babool Supriyo continued to be detained by the agitating students/persons there.”
The release further said, “In his capacity as Chancellor, being guardian of the students, he took the call so as to connect with the students in the interest of education and institution.”
Rejecting Partho Chatterjee’s accusations the statement said, “Before his visit to the university, the Governor and Chancellor exhausted all possible avenues that could bring an end to the unsavoury spectacle by flagging the issue to the DGP and the Chief Secretary.”
As a final step before going to the university the Governor also spoke to the Chief Minister, the statement said. “There were many telephonic interactions between the two and … he would not like to divulge the conversation between the two, except that he left for the place after sufficient time had elapsed and the situation did not show any change.”
A separate statement also expressed anguish at the way Chatterjee made his claims without knowing the truth of the matter. It said, “It is unfortunate that the Secretary-General of the All India Trinamool Congress, through a Press release yesterday, has stated that the Governor did not inform the Government and has not taken the State Government into confidence before making a visit. Obviously he did not know of the developments that took place between the Governor and the DGP/CS as also the conversation with the Hon’ble Chief Minister.”
Meanwhile, on a day of long processions, the BJP on Friday took out a long rally in North Kolkata which was equally matched by a massive rally by thousands of students in South Kolkata protesting “growing fascism in India and the campus.”