Ahead of the BJP’s march to the West Bengal state secretariat ‘Nabanna Building’ on Tuesday, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari’s call to his “Left friends” to join the march has created a flutter in political circles.
“Friends of the Left, going to the CGO (Central Government Officers Complex) will not help. If you really want to go, go to Nabanna with us on the 13th,” Mr Adhikari said at a public meeting on Sunday.
Recently, the Left parties had organized a march to the CGO premises where the offices of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are located.
The BJP leader further said that everyone knows that “Parth Chatterjee (arrested in recruitment scam) and Anubrata Mandal (arrested in cross-border cattle smuggling scam) are small fish” and the real beneficiary of the scams is the Chief Minister. If they (the Left parties) want to remove the Chief Minister from power, they will have to go to Nabanna, Mr. Adhikari said.
Left parties reacted strongly to the remarks. Communist Party of India (Marxist) Central Committee member Sujan Chakraborty said Mr Adhikari’s ancestors in the BJP knew that the Left was committed to his struggle. “We will not ask the BJP to join our march till the CGO. If they indulge in it, it will pollute our movement.”
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh ridiculed the BJP’s march to the state secretariat and said the party cannot organize the march on its own strength.
BJP alleges workers are being prevented from coming to Kolkata
A section of BJP leaders, including state party president Sukanta Majumdar, on Monday alleged that party workers were being stopped at different places and prevented from coming to Kolkata. Top party officials claimed that they were stopped from boarding trains at Alipurduar and other railway stations in north Bengal.
“Why so scared, didi (Mamata Banerjee)? You ran away from Nabanna, now with the help of Trinamool police are stopping BJP workers at the railway station?” State BJP President Sukanto Majumdar was questioned.
The Kolkata Police and Howrah City Police have made elaborate arrangements to prevent BJP supporters from reaching the state secretariat. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is visiting the districts of South Bengal and will not be present at the state secretariat on Tuesday.