BAYING FOR BENGAL

As the battle between Mamata Banerjee and the Centre intensifies, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar is going all out against the chief minister and state BJP leaders are demanding President’s rule

- RABI BANERJEE

On December 11, a day after BJP president J.P. Nadda’s convoy was attacked in Diamond Harbour, in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, the state BJP held a meeting with its senior functionaries in Kolkata. It was decided there that “under no circumstances would the [upcoming] assembly elections be allowed to take place under the Trinamool Congress’s administrative control”.

The most vocal demand for President’s rule came from Mukul Roy, the former confidant of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “From what I have seen in Diamond Harbour,” he said, “I can tell you that if President’s rule is not applicable in Bengal, then it should not be imposed anywhere in the country.”

The convoy carrying Nadda and state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, both with Z category security, was attacked under the noses of the state police. BJP national general secretary and Bengal in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya, senior leader Arvind Menon and state general secretary (organisation) Amitava Chakraborty were badly injured. Near the spot of the attack, West Bengal Minority Affairs Minister of State Giasuddin Molla and Trinamool MLA Saokat Molla were holding a rally against the recent farm laws.

There was a second attack at Sarisa, where Roy’s car was stoned and he was roughed up. That protest was organised by local Trinamool leader Sheikh Zahangir. “You cannot imagine the situation Amitava Chakraborty and I (they were in the same car) were in,” Menon told THE WEEK. “We had a close shave as TMC workers were throwing bricks. We ended up in the local hospital, got treatment and then reached Naddaji’s venue. We were late for the meeting.”