Supporters of the Trinamul Congress and the BJP held demonstrations against each other at Pundibari near Cooch Behar town on Wednesday over the “rath yatra” — a nationwide outreach drive planned by the saffron camp.
Wielding sticks, they shouted slogans against each other, prompting police intervention. Traffic was disrupted in the area for some time because of the protest.
On Monday, a “rath” — a decorated vehicle bearing the photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — reached Cooch Behar. It is among 1,500-odd such vehicles that the saffron camp has planned to run across the country ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
The drive, which has been named “Grameen Samvad Yatra,” has been planned to showcase the achievements of the Modi government and apprise people of various central schemes. The target is to reach out to residents living in two-and-half lakh panchayats in the country.
As the vehicle reached here, Trinamul supporters led by the party’s district chief Avijit De Bhowmik had demonstrated in front of the district party office. The Centre is depriving Bengal of funds and hence, the BJP will not be allowed to carry out the drive in the district, Trinamul said.
Police had rushed to the spot and dispersed them. The police had also taken away the vehicle, which was parked near New Cooch Behar station, to Pundibari police station
On Tuesday, some BJP leaders, along with 300-odd supporters, reached the police station around 12 noon and asked police officers to let them take away the vehicle so that the outreach drive could be initiated in the district.
As the police denied permission, they got irked and held a protest for an hour. Then, the BJP supporters took out a protest march in Pundibari. While the march was moving towards NH17, a section of BJP supporters got into an altercation with Trinamul supporters who were standing in front of the local party office. Around 200 Trinamul supporters were there then.
Both the sides started shouting slogans against each other and soon, inciting slogans like “Dholai Hobe, Petai Hobe” (would be beaten black and blue), rented the air.
The tension continued for around 30 minutes, after which a police contingent reached the spot and dispersed both the groups.
The BJP leaders and supporters, however, walked to NH17 and raised a blockade. The blockade continued for around 30 minutes.
As the police asked them to disperse, they returned to the police station and staged a demonstration for another half an hour. The BJP leaders and supporters left the spot then.
Sukumar Roy, the district BJP president, trained guns at the police and the state's ruling party.
“The police officers here are acting at the behest of Trinamul. They are not granting permission for the ‘rath yatra’ as otherwise, people would come to know about the array of central schemes which are provided to them. Also, it would expose the state government that changes the names of such schemes and claim the credit while pretending that those are state-run schemes,” he said.
“It is a political programme taken by our party and if Trinamul keeps on obstructing us, we will also prevent them from holding political events,” Roy, who is also the Cooch Behar North MLA, added.
Such remarks by the BJP district leadership have made Trinamul react.
“Let them try to stop us from carrying out our programmes. We will give a befitting reply. The BJP has no right to run the drive as it has deprived lakhs of poor residents of the state of their dues,” said Rabindranath Ghosh, a former minister and a state vice-president of Trinamul.
