BJP national president Amit Shah on Friday said that the incidents of violence at Raniganj and Asansol are very unfortunate. In a Press release, the BJP said that Mr Shah condemned the incidents of violence in West Bengal on the day of Ram Navami. The party will send a four-member team to the state soon to take stock of situation in both the places.

The party decided to send BJP’s MP Om Mathur, national spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly and MP BD Ram to pay a visit at the trouble-torn areas.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Mukul Roy said that the idea of third front is a non-starter in Indian politics, yet Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is dreaming to stitch together such a front and become the Prime Minister.

Her dream will never come true as she is not even capable of running a state as the situation in Bengal now clearly shows. “Formation of the third front was attempted several times in this country. Again Mamata is ridiculously taking this initiative to form such a front,” he said.

Mr Roy also demanded that Miss Banerjee must not retain the home department as this department totally failed to control the current situation. “She took oath as the home minister but trouble erupted in the state because of the failure of the home ministry,” he said.

Mr Roy also demanded that state election commissioner AK Singh must apply constitutional power to conduct free and fair election in the West Bengal. “If the commissioner would not apply such power then panchayat election will be a farce. Moreover, incidents of looting, murder, arson and attack will take place,” he said.

Meanwhile, the BJP and the VHP decided not to take out any big rally in the state on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti tomorrow, following incidents of violence over Ram Navami celebrations in the state.

Both the state unit of the BJP and the state leadership of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have decided to restrict their programmes to temples and local clubs during Hanuman Jayanti.

State VHP president Sachindranath Singha said, it might create problems if major rallies were taken out.

“Only last week, we had such huge Ram Navami celebrations, which at some places led to violence. Now taking out rallies on Hanuman Jayanti will send a wrong message,” he said, adding that the programmes would be restricted to temples and Maths and that they would be low-key affairs.

BJP’s state secretary Sayantan Basu said, the saffron party would not take out any rally on Hanuman Jayanti, but would take part in some programmes organised by the local clubs.

“Hanuman Jayanti is not as popular as Ram Navami in Bengal and we won’t organise any rally. There are so many festivals, it is not possible to celebrate all on a huge scale,” Mr Basu said.

The saffron brigade also planned to organise a procession on Sunday to protest the incidents at Raniganj and Asansol. BJP’s intellectual cell will organise the rally. Members of the cell also protested for preventing BJP leaders from visiting the victims at Raniganj and Asansol.