Nitish influenced by Mamata, alleges BJP-MP following Patna clash

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the death of a party worker in an alleged ‘lathicharge’ in the state during a protest.

Prasad, who heads the fact-finding team probing the rural poll-related violence in West Bengal, said Nitish Kumar was adopting the methods of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee since they became friends.

On Thursday, BJP protesters' march in Patna had turned violent and a party worker had died allegedly during the ‘lathicharge’.

Also Read | Police, administration under Mamata govt not listening to people’s grievances, alleges BJP MP

Talking to reporters in north Bengal, Prasad alleged that after getting closer to Mamata Banerjee in recent times, Kumar seemed to have fallen under her influence. “In Mamata’s company, Nitish Kumar behaves like her. The opponents are being beaten… I am on a visit to Cooch Behar on BJP president JP Nadda’s instructions… Nitishji, people will react. Your defeat is definite, Mamataji, yours too,” he said. Prasad represents Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency.

Trinamool, BJP spar over rural poll-violence

Ravi Shankar Prasad also met the affected party workers in Cooch Behar; he asked a party representative to file complaints and also to approach the governor.

“Mamataji is questioning why a fact-finding committee is here. This is because you and your administration hide the truth and our team will expose that,” he said. Earlier, the team members had visited affected areas in two districts, adjoining Kolkata.

By the way, in Kolkata, Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool’s national general secretary, countered Ravi Shankar Prasad. “Five to six months ago, Bihar was ruled by the BJP. So, is he trying to say that BJP, despite remaining in the state government, failed in Bihar…He is coming, visiting villages and meeting his workers...That is a testament to the fact that there is democracy in Bengal. Can our fact-finding team pay a visit to UP? Will they be allowed?” he said.

The Trinamool leader also questioned the logic of the BJP sending representatives to West Bengal from other parts of the country, when it had 18 MPs in Bengal itself.

Meanwhile, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, to appraise him of Bengal’s situation and election results.

"Even bloodcurdling violence in West Bengal could not stop the BJP from putting up a stellar performance in the panchayat election. The BJP nearly doubled its seat tally from the previous election, indicating a significant rise in the trust placed by the people," Shah said in a tweet.

In a counter-tweet to Shah’s tweet, Derek O’Brien, Trinamool parliamentary leader in Rajya Sabha, said: “Instead of showing compassion to grieving families, you are gloating over the politics of (fake) vote percentages.” He also claimed that BJP’s vote percentage had dropped.