Murder of Adhikari's aide part of TMC's 'Khela Hobe' politics BJP

     New Delhi, May 7 (PTI) The BJP on Thursday accused the Trinamool Congress of fostering a "mafia culture" and "maha jungle raj" in West Bengal following the killing of an aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, alleging that the incident reflects the "institutionalised" post-poll violence prevailing in the state.
     The saffron party further alleged that the TMC has become "rattled" after its electoral defeat in the state and that the murder of Adhikari's aide is part of the TMC's "Khela Hobe" (game is on) politics.
     Adhikari's personal 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.
     Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan condemned the killing and alleged that the TMC has turned to violence after suffering electoral defeat in the state.
     "TMC and Mamata Banerjee have become rattled after their crushing defeat. There is no place for violence in democracy, but the TMC has resorted to violence," Chouhan told reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Lucknow.
     Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said a "blood-soaked political culture" has been "unleashed" by Banerjee and the TMC in West Bengal.
     "What the state is witnessing today is a direct assault on democracy itself, where dissent is answered with violence and political rivalry is treated as justification for murder," he said in a post on X.
     Taking aim at the TMC supremo, Pradhan said Banerjee's "desperation over Bengal steadily slipping out of the TMC's grip" is now manifesting in its "ugliest form".
     BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh alleged that the murder of Rath and the shooting of another BJP leader Rohit Roy are part of the TMC's political model of "Khela Hobe".
     "The cold-blooded murder of Suvendu Adhikari's PA and the shooting of Rohit Roy are not ordinary incidents, but part of the planned political model of the TMC's 'Khela Hobe'," Chugh told PTI Videos.
     "On one hand, Mamata Banerjee's obstinate declaration that she will not resign from the CM's post and, on the other hand, violence of this scale show the dictatorial, ruthless and jihadi mindset of the TMC," he alleged.
     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," Poonawalla alleged.
     "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 added.
     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.
     BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also described Rath's killing as a "pre-planned murder".
     "My heartfelt condolences to Chandra's family in this moment of insurmountable grief. This is a pre-planned murder by goons related to TMC. Those responsible, both the perpetrators and their political backers who ordered this, should face the strictest possible punishment," he wrote on X.
     Another BJP spokesperson, Gaurav Bhatia, alleged that the post-election situation in West Bengal is "shameful for any civilised society".
     "Mamata Banerjee and her party TMC have not only refused to accept the people's mandate but have also resorted to violence to strangle democracy," he wrote on X.
     The BJP's West Bengal unit president, Samik Bhattacharya, on Thursday described the killing of the close aide of Adhikari as a "planned political murder" and claimed that it is designed to cause instability in the state.
     The TMC condemned the killing and demanded a court-monitored CBI probe.
     The 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 vehicle was being driven by Buddhadeb Bera, who also sustained bullet injuries and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kolkata, another officer 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.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)