West Bengal BJP chief warns TMC men of encounter, jail

Kolkata: Triggering a controversy ahead of BJP president Amit Shah’s visit to West Bengal next week, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh warned Trinamul Congress leaders against unleashing atrocities on the BJP workers, saying that the leaders who indulge in hooliganism in Bengal will soon either be in jail or straight away they will fall prey to encounters

The threat came at a rally outside the Jalpaiguri district magistrate’s office in North Bengal during a BJP protest as part of their statewide agitation to protest the alleged murders of three BJP workers in Purulia around the panchayat elections recently.

Addressing the BJP rally Mr Ghosh told the party workers, “I have a clear message for those Trinamul leaders who are doing Dadagiri by intimidating the common people. Either they will be sent to jail or they will be killed in encounters. And that day is coming soon.”

Referring to dacoit character Gabbar Singh’s dialogues in Bollywood movie Sholay, Mr Ghosh added, “Like Gabbar Singh said isme kitna goliya hai, we will also count every bullet before it will be fired. Every body will be counted also. Assaults will be responded with counter assaults. Same will happen in case of hurling bombs and firing.”

Pointing fingers at Trinamul’s Birbhum district president Birbhum Anubrata Mondal also known as Kesto, he mentioned, “Be it Kestu or Bistu, no one will be spared. We have seen many strongmen. But we have a limit of tolerance. None of us gave an undertaking by writing a bond that those who would beat us would be fed Rosgollas by us.”

Taking pride in the organisation’s strength the BJP MLA claimed that the party tore apart ‘Mr Mondal’s mosquito net’ in Birbhum. “No bullet and gun will be able to stop us. I warn all here. Those who will attack us will be treated in such a way that they will have no place to cover themselves with bandages,” Mr Ghosh said.

Hours after his controversial speech the district police lodged a suo moto case against the state BJP chief under relevant sections of the IPC.

Condemning the state BJP president’s comments North Bengal development minister Rabindranath Ghosh alleged, “It is a criminal statement. He should be put in jail.” The state BJP president remained undeterred however. On Wednesday he declared in Baruipur in South 24 Parganas he would have smashed the Trinamool-backed miscreants’ heads to counter their attack on the BJP workers during the rural polls.