TMC killing democracy in Bengal: BJP

Kolkata: The BJP on Thursday accused the Trinamool Congress of not respecting the Opposition and killing democracy in West Bengal.

"In a democracy the Opposition plays an important role. But in Bengal the Mamata Banerjee-government bulldozed the Opposition. Here the rule of law does not prevail," BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said.

He was speaking at a meeting to protest against alleged "kidnapping and forcing" of the Naxalbari tribal couple, who had hosted BJP president Amit Shah during his recent visit, to join the TMC.

He said that BJP workers had gone to the Naxalbari police station to file an FIR and alleged that the police did not even register it.

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh had stated yesterday, "We had reports that they were being threatened by the TMC goons. They had been missing for the last two days. They were kidnapped by the TMC and forced to join the party. We condemn such an act."

Vijayvargiya, who hailed from Madhya Pradesh, said, "The BJP was in opposition in that state when the Congress was in power but the Congress used to give us respect".

"But in Didi's Bengal, there is no respect for the Opposition. Violence was unleashed against opposition party workers", he said, adding, "We are not scared. We cannot be cowed down. The BJP is the world's biggest political party. We will not say eye for an eye but we have to save democracy".

The BJP leader alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was practicising 'appeasement politics' for garnering votes.

"The students were facing problem in performing Saraswati puja in educational institutions and restrictions were imposed on immersion of Durga idols. The people also faced difficulty in taking out Ram Navami processions," he alleged.

Vijayvargiya said the BJP would not allow anyone to raise slogans against India.

In an apparent reference to Narada and chit fund scams, he said that the ministers (of the TMC government) who were involved in it would go to jail one by one.

On the demonetisation issue, he said the World Bank had praised it but "here Mamataji had opposed it".