A fresh row erupted between Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Barasat after TMC workers allegedly vandalised cars of BJP leaders at the home of a party worker on Monday night.
BJP leader Mukul Roy accused TMC candidate from Barasat, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, of leading a mob that attacked the house of a BJP leader where party’s co-incharge of Bengal, Arvind Menon, was holding a meeting and damaged vehicles.
“BJP’s Arvind Menon was holding a meeting with few leaders in Barasat. Few people led by Kakoli came there and attacked the cars parked outside. There is no democracy in this state,” Roy said.
Dastidar, on the other hand, accused the BJP of distributing money and also complained to the police against saffron party leaders.
They are distributing money. BJP is doing this,” she alleged.
Reports say that Dastidar staged a sit-in outside a police station demanding action against BJP workers, who she claimed were from outside the state.
Following her protest, the police raided the house of the BJP worker and escorted the leaders present there to the police station even as TMC supporters present outside continued to protest.
Political violence has hit West Bengal in all six phases of Lok Sabha elections held so far. In most cases, the BJP leaders and their vehicles have been the targets.
In the fourth phase of the elections, the vehicle of Union minister and BJP MP from Asansol, Babul Supriyo, was vandalised. In the sixth phase, the vehicle of BJP candidate from Ghatal, Bharati Ghosh, was damaged.
Ghosh, a former IPS officer, was also heckled allegedly by TMC women workers at two polling stations in Ghatal on the day of elections.
The BJP accused the TMC of perpetuating a cycle of violence in the state in the elections.
Barasat, located 40 kms from Kolkata, will witness polling in the last phase on 19 May.