Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for failing to control the wave of political violence that singed West Bengal in all the six phases of Lok Sabha elections held so far.
“There is no place for political violence in a healthy democracy. It’s unfortunate that more and more incidences of violence are taking place in West Bengal,” Singh told the media.
“What can be more unfortunate than the fact that the Chief Minister is unable to stop violence in the state?” he added, referring to Banerjee.
West Bengal is the only state to have recorded poll violence in every Lok Sabha election phase held so far.
On Monday night, TMC workers allegedly vandalised cars of BJP leaders at the home of a saffron party worker.
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.
A BJP activist was killed in Jhargram district in the early hours of Sunday – the day of polling for the sixth phase.
In Ghatal, vehicles in the convoy of BJP candidate Bharati Ghosh were vandalised. The former IPS officer was also heckled allegedly by TMC women workers at two polling stations.
The car of sitting BJP lawmaker from Asansol, Babul Supriyo, was damaged allegedly by TMC workers in his own constituency in the fourth phase of the elections on 29 April.