The BJP’s march to the West Bengal secretariat against corruption issues on Tuesday received a major setback much before it began with the arrest of Suvendu Adhikari.
The party’s arm led by Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition, and BJP Lok Sabha member, Locket Chatterjee was stopped by a huge police contingent at the entry point to Vidyasagar Bridge, popularly known as Second Hooghly Bridge, that connects Kolkata to Mandirtala in Howrah district, where the state secretariat of Nabanna is located.
After an initial altercation with the police officers present there, both Adhikari and Chatterjee were arrested and put in the prison van.
Adhikari alleged that the women police personnel were specially and deliberately deputed to handle him.
He was also seen shouting at the women police personnel trying to put him in a prison van. “You are a lady. Do not touch my body,” Adhikari was heard shouting.
Later both Adhikari and Chatterjee were taken to the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar.
Adhikari has threatened to tap the legal doors over the development.
“This not the way to behave with the leader of the opposition. The lady constables were constantly pushing me and they were doing this following the instructions of three IPS officers namely Gyanwant Singh, Akash Magaria and Suryapratap Yadav,” he said.
Incidentally, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday is out of Kolkata for a three-day official visit to East Midnapore and West Midnapore districts.
Ridiculing her decision to stay out of Kolkata, Adhikari said that the Chief Minister has deputed the entire police forces to stop the BJP rally. “She has done this by fleeing out of Kolkata.”
Ridiculing Adhikari, Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim said that the Leader of the Opposition is resorting to such theatrics, understanding that his party has no mass base in West Bengal.
“In BJP, there are only leaders and no workers. So, a party without any worker can never generate mass support. BJP is a worthless party which is surviving just by using some central agencies,” Hakim said.