Centre, BJP furious over attack on J P Nadda; seek report, raise 'tyranny' charge against TMC

BJP, which is betting big on next year's Assembly polls in West Bengal, on Thursday raised the political temperature over the attack on party chief J P Nadda the in poll-bound state with Amit Shah-led Home Ministry seeking a report from the state government on the "serious security lapses" during his visit and Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of the party launching a scathing attack on Mamata Banerjee.

The Union home ministry sent the communication to the West Bengal government after the BJP state chief Dilip Ghosh wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday alleging that a mob armed with sticks and bamboos was allowed to demonstrate in front of BJP's state unit office in Kolkata and there were serious lapses on security arrangements.

The party, which had in last two years repeatedly raked up the issue of "the cult of political violence against BJP workers" in the Trinamool Congress-ruled state, on Thursday issued statements ranging from concern to warning to the Opposition ruled state as elections are just six months away.

BJP is aggressively trying to expand in West Bengal, where it had won 18 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 general elections, a nine-fold jump from the just two in 2014 and considers itself a serious contender for power in the state, where Congress is pale shadow of its glorious past and the CPI-M, which ruled the state for three decades, still tottering after having lost to Banerjee-led TMC in 2011.

The attack from BJP was led by senior ministers like Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as well leaders like Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia as the saffron party's condemnation of the attacked ringed loud across all BJP-ruled states.

In October this year also when violent clashes marked a protest march of BJP in Kolkata, the saffron party top leaders raised the "tyranny" charge against Banerjee. Way back in 2018 itself, BJP tried to replicate its Kerala model of highlighting the violence against its leaders in West Bengal and went to the extent of organising a "pind daan" (post death ritual) for 80 slain party workers.

The attack on the party chief gives the BJP an opportunity to deepen the campaign around the theme of political violence. Calling the attack a a reflection of the declining law and order in West Bengal, Rajnath Singh sought a through investigation and 'fixing of responsibility for the attack" while Shah said the state government will have to answer to the peace-loving people of the state ( voting in the next Assembly polls) for this sponsored violence, an euphemism. Going hammer and tongs, he alleged that the state has "descended into an era of tyranny, anarchy and darkness" under the Trinamool rule and ruled over the manner in which "political violence has been institutionalised and brought to the extreme" there.

Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia said Banerjee will not return to power with such violence and anarchy adding that violence has no place in politics even as there may be ideological differences.

The Bengal violence also had its echo at the joint press conference of Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal in the national capital, which was otherwise called to douse the fire of farm agitation.

Calling the attack in Bengal, a "complete breakdown of law and order" and alleging that attempts have been made to muzzle democratic processes in the state, Tomar and Goyal demanded the strictest possible action against the "goons" behind the attack.

In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Chouhan said "stones pelted on Nadda Ji's car will prove to be the last nail on TMC's coffin in West Bengal."