Masks, which have worked as a safety essential since the onset of the pandemic, can apparently raise political temperatures in poll season.
Central paramilitary force personnel carried out route marches on Thursday wearing masks emblazoned with the phrase “Joy Bangla”, a Trinamul slogan, causing the BJP to claim that Mamata Banerjee’s party was using the forces in the party’s poll campaign.
Late on Wednesday night, two companies of the paramilitary forces reached the district and on Thursday morning, a contingent came out for a route march in Raiganj wearing “Joy Bangla” masks.
These masks, paramilitary sources said, had been given to them by North Dinajpur police. “Visiting personnel had asked for masks from the district police and were given those. What led to a row is that the masks had ‘Joy Bangla’ printed on them,” said a police source.
Biswajit Lahiri, the BJP president of North Dinajpur, saw in the masks an attempt by Trinamul to “use the central paramilitary forces in their poll campaign”.
“They (the forces) have been given masks that carry the party’s slogan. The administration should see to it that no such mask is handed over to the paramilitary forces or is used during the election process,” Lahiri said.
Later in the day, other state BJP leaders unmasked their reservations. Sayantan Basu, a state general secretary of the BJP, accused the administration of being biased.
“This is why we need a change in Bengal. The party and administration have become one. There is no difference between them. We will surely inform the Election Commission of India about this incident,” Basu said.
In the evening, the BJP blocked the MG Road in Raiganj, to protest against the masks for around 45 minutes. It was withdrawn after the police intervened.
The paramilitary forces wearing “Joy Bangla” masks attracted residents in droves as the contingent moved through the town.
Most paramilitary personnel had no clue why they were the subject of so much curiosity. “Initially, we did not know why people were looking at us and speaking among themselves. Later, we learnt what the issue was,” said one of them. District Trinamul leaders found the whole brouhaha a “non-issue”.
“It is obviously our slogan but there is nothing political in it. Any person who loves Bengal can wear the mask. The BJP is politically bankrupt and is creating a fuss over a non-issue,” said Kanaialal Agarwal, the district Trinamul chief.
Senior police officers, when asked about the masks, said they provided them from their stocks.
“These masks are meant for government supply. We received those from Nabanna and distributed them among the central paramilitary forces,” said Sumit Kumar, the North Dinajpur superintendent of police.
