‘Drama to get attention’: TMC MP on Dilip Ghosh 'heckled' and ‘abused’ during Bhabanipur campaign
TMC MP Saugata Roy said that BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh went to an area in Kolkata where there is resentment for him, and thus the protest was a spontaneous aftermath.
The controversy regarding BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh’s claim that he was "heckled" by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers while campaigning for the upcoming Bhabanipur by-poll received fresh fuel after TMC MP Saugata Roy said that Ghosh’s allegations are a “drama to get attention.”
Roy told news agency ANI that no harm was done to him as the former saw pictures of Ghosh smiling and “changing Jai Shree Ram.”
“All this was a drama to get attention. We want to see a peaceful campaign during whatever time is left,” Roy was quoted as saying.
Further elaborating his viewpoint, the TMC MP said that Ghosh went to an area in Kolkata --Jadu Babu Bazar -- where there is resentment against him, thereby paving way for a spontaneous protest against Ghosh’s arrival. “Dilip Ghosh escaped and his security personnel pointed guns at the crowd,” Roy added.
Hours earlier, Ghosh alleged that during BJP’s campaign for its Bhabanipur by-poll candidate Priyanka Tibrewal against TMC supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the workers of the state ruling dispensation hurled abuses at him and one of BJP’s workers was beaten up as well. The BJP national vice president added that the local police didn’t help. The saffron party has since moved to the Election Commission (EC) in order to stop the Bhabanipur by-polls – which Banerjee has to win to continue holding the chief ministerial chair.
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During the commotion, security personnel of Ghosh had to take him out to safety while two of them were caught pointing their pistols at TMC workers – allegedly to scare them. The former Bengal BJP president also got triggered and shouted back at the crowd.
“Today’s incident has proved that the situation is not conducive for holding free and fair polls…However, we will contest if the EC decides to go ahead with the election,” Ghosh said.
As many as 80 BJP leaders took part in the campaign rally for Tibrewal in the last push for the Bhabanipur by-poll, while TMC leaders and ministers also campaigned for the same post in support of Banerjee.
Following the incident involving Ghosh, many prominent BJP leaders from Bengal, including state’s Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Tibrewal and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta raised their voices.
The EC has asked the returning officer to examine the CCTV footage showing Ghosh’s security personnel drawing their guns at the crowd, according to an official who wished to remain anonymous. The EC has also asked for a report on the incident regarding Bhabanipur on Monday.
