‘Lack of candidates forcing BJP to spread tension before polls’

KOLKATA: Following the incidents of violence in Hatisala and Margram, TMC leader Shashi Panja alleged that BJP, in collusion with other opposition parties, is creating situations conducive to violence ahead of the Panchayat polls since they neither have adequate candidates nor booth workers to fight the polls.

Commenting on the blast incident which killed TMC workers in Margram, Shashi Panja said: “Ones who lost the 2021 Assembly elections despite trying to get a President’s Rule imposed in the state by spreading canards and violence are once again attempting the same before Panchayat polls. They failed then and they will fail again. Unfortunately, even then TMC workers were injured and died and this time too it is happening.”

She added: “One has to understand that the BJP does not have 77,000 candidates to field in the Panchayat polls nor do they have enough booth workers. Hence, they are resorting to violence. It is important to note that apparently the BJP, Left Front and Congress are three separate parties but in reality, their goal is the same. The family of the deceased TMC workers, despite their grief, identified the attackers as Congress workers.”

She clarified: “Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had given clear instructions during the Bagtui incident that no matter who is piling explosives and arms in the state, they will be dealt with according to the law.”

Panja added: “Who guards the state and international borders? One can infiltrate Bengal’s borders easily since we have a porous border. The BSF is responsible for guarding borders. We want to say that again before an election, the BJP is creating a negative atmosphere rather than focusing on the needs of the people.”

Commenting on the arrest of a TMC leader, Jahirul Mollah, Panja said: “Police in investigating the incident. The state administration is worried. We saw how there is a deep tie between the ISF and the BJP from the WhatsApp conversations that have come to the surface. Although on paper, ISF is in ties with CPI(M) and Congress. One should make their allegiance clear.”