The Bharatiya Janata Party's attempt to “purify” a damaged statue of party ideologue Shyama Prasad Mukherjee resulted in clashes between the BJP and Trinamool Congress workers in West Bengal.
Mukherjee's bust was defaced on Wednesday in what is seen as a retaliation to the vandalisation of a Lenin statue in Tripura soon after the saffron party came to power winning the assembly elections.
On Thursday, BJP leaders from Kolkata South district, tried to “purify”the damaged statue of Mukherjee with milk and water from the Ganges. They were confronted by a group of Trinamool Congress workers resulted in a clash between the two groups. About 12 BJP workers were hospitalised with injuries.
The Trinamool Congress workers were seen shouting at the BJP workers: “Do you want to spread your wings in Bengal? We will teach you a lesson. Just dare not do your politics in our land.”
The thrashing of BJP workers led party's senior state leaders to hit the streets on Thursday and Friday. Traffic in Kolkata hugely affected as BJP state president Dilip Ghosh and women’s wing chief Locket Chatterjee took out a big rally in the city.
“We are giving them last warning. If they listen to us, good; otherwise chief minister would be responsible for the disturbances. They are beating us and causing heavy injury to us,” said Chatterjee.
The situation turned ugly in Hooghly’s Srirampore on Friday. The band of BJP workers led by Hooghly district president Bhaskar Bhattacharya went to do the same purification drive at the Mukherjee’s statue in Sreerampore and was confronted by Trinamool activists. Bhattacharya was also thrashed severely.
“I don’t know why they did this to me. We did not try to do anything bad to anybody. We just went to our purification programme. They kicked me as I slumped on the road. They slapped me and used foul languages against me, my father and our party leaders,” said he.
Rahul Sinha, BJP’s national secretary, told THE WEEK, “It was a joint operation of Trinamool Congress and the CPI(M). They are beating up our workers and leaders. Messages have been sent to party president Amit Shah. All of them are busy with swearing in ceremony of our Tripura government. Strong action will be taken.”
Sinha said Shah would never allow assault on BJP leaders in Bengal and would take serious steps.
“I think the days of Mamata government is numbered. They have understood that Tripura model will be replicated in Bengal. So they are angry on us,” said he.