The chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday slammed both the BJP and the ultra-Left parties for creating disturbances in the state.
The Trinamul supremo also criticised vandalisation of statutes of political icons and social reformers. She said, “There may be differences in political ideology but that does not mean one will deface, destroy or pull down the statues of political icons. It was the BJP, who first started at Tripura,” she said.
Referring to the defiling of the bust of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookherjee in Kolkata by activists of a leftwing organisation, she said a few people are trying to sully the reputation of the state by engaging in such activities.
“A handful of activists of Jadavpur University is creating all sorts of problem. They are dicating terms in Bhangor and are causing disruption for setting up of power grid.” She said whether anyone is arrested in Tripura for such vandalism is not known to her but here, all seven ultra Left activists were put behind the bar.
Meanwhile, the BJP workers led by the party’s state president Dilip Ghosh were on Thursday stopped by the police when they tried to enter the area where the vandalised bust of Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookherjee is located.
A large posse of policemen in riot gear with water canon put up a blockade preventing them from moving forward. Police said 59 BJP workers including two women were arrested for violating law.
Mookerjee’s bust was vandalised yesterday by a left-wing group “Radical” in protest against pulling down of communist icon Lenin’s statue in Tripura.
BJP will organise demonstrations, protest rallies and put up road block throughout the state at all district headquarters tomorrow and 10 March to protest against the alleged large scale atrocities committed by TMC goons against BJP workers when they were trying to enter inside Chittaranjan Samadhi Park to garland the defaced statue of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee at Keoratala.
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said their procession was peaceful but TMC workers mercilessly beat up their workers.“Our workers were heavily beaten, wounded and arrested by police and TMC workers. “ Again till evening, a clash broke out between the students of t Jadavpur University and Hindu Astitya Raksha Mancha near 8B bus stand.
Police said a group of students stormed into ameeting place and started beating up the supporters of the Hindu Astitya Raksha Mancha, who organised a protest meeting to condemn the attack of the defacing Jan Sangha founder Syama Prasad Mookherjee.
The students had positioned themselves in the area where the meeting was to take place on Thursday in the evening. Even before the meeting, began a group of SFI supporters with anti-RSS placards started shouting slogans.
CPM leader, Satarup Ghosh who was also seen among the students claimed the JU students had to retaliate as the members of Hindu Astitya Raksha Mancha had the agenda of demolishing the statue of Lenin at 8B bus stand.
A police team rushed to the spot to maintain law and order. Later, more forces were deployed to bring the situation under control.
BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh, however, said he doesn’t know whether such organisation exists but he condemned the attack on the supporter of the Hindu Astitya Raksha Mancha.
“Any organisation could organise a movement to protest against such heinous attempt to deface Jan Sangha founder Syama Prasad Mookherjee. But nobody has any right to attack peaceful meeting organiser,” he said.