Rally violence fuels latest Trinamool-BJP clashes

Opposition BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress staged walkouts in the West Bengal assembly Thursday, protesting over the violence and police action during a BJP-organised secretariat march earlier this week.

BJP MLAs, before they walked out, also protested inside the House over alleged atrocities by the police on the protestors during Tuesday's Nabanna Chalo Abhijan. While they continued their protest outside the assembly, Trinamool Congress members staged a counter-protest and walked out of the House.

Meanwhile, leaders of the two parties continued to trade barbs over Tuesday's incidents.


"After Trinamool Congress is provoking the police, if our workers are touched, we will not spare anyone," BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul said Thursday. "Those who are associated with coal and cattle smuggling, I desire that stones be pelted on them," Paul told reporters, even as the ruling party accused her of inciting violence.

Leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari took pot shots at the government for the walkout staged by ruling party members.

"For the first time, West Bengal Speaker Biman Banerjee was forced to adjourn the House," he said. "It is always alleged that the BJP as the opposition protests and walks out. Today, the ruling Trinamool Congress MLAs also staged protests and around 50-60 of them walked out of the assembly. We thank them."

On Thursday, the Trinamool Congress claimed that a man who was arrested for allegedly setting a police vehicle on fire Tuesday was a close associate of union minister of state for home Nishith Pramanik.

Pramanik was a Trinamool leader before he defected to the BJP before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.