Assam killings: BJP fears backlash in West Bengal

The killing of 5 Bengali-speaking people in Assam has caused panic in West Bengal BJP which is working hard to win the TMC-ruled state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats. Saffron leaders fear that setbacks in West Bengal will damage the BJP’s victory mission in 2019.  

Guwahati: Bogged down by the failure of Assam police in busting the conspiracy behind the killing of five Bengalis in Upper Assam's Tinsukia district, the Union ministry of home affairs is planning to hand over the investigation into the Tinsukia massacre to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Four days after the killings, the Assam government transferred Sadiya police district superintendent of police Prasanta Sagar Changmai.

Suspected Ulfa-I rebels in battle fatigues had shot dead five Bengali-speaking persons, including three members of a family, beside a bridge near Kheronibari village on Thursday night. The village falls under the Sadiya police district.

Though the Ulfa-I has denied its, the security agencies have confirmed the hand of Ulfa-I rebels into the incident.

Police claimed that they have launched a massive manhunt in the area to nab the militants. It is more than two weeks, but the police have picked up only one person on suspicion of helping Ulfa-I rebels.

The political repercussions of this killing were not limited to Assam as tension is brewing in West Bengal. While the BJP is trying hard to ward off the allegations of being anti-Bengal, political observers believe that the TMC, which sent a delegation to meet aggrieved families in Assam, has used the tragedy to position itself as a defender of Bengali culture, language and ethos.

The BJP is also worried as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is highlighting the attack on the Namasudra community, a section of dalits, in the Assam. She is planning to rip apart BJP's general Hindutva politics in Bengal. There are 22 per cent dalit votes in Bengal.

TMC chief's "masterstroke" may put her ahead in the race for support from Bengali dalits, especially in North Bengal, where the BJP has emerged as the foremost challenger to the TMC ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

BJP's state president Dilip Ghosh wrote to Union home minister Rajnath Singh, stating that Bengalis in West Bengal want the BJP to protect the Bengali Hindus in Assam.

"Thousands of Bengalis were killed in Assam years back. There were incidents like the Nellie massacre in which hundreds of Bengalis were killed. Congress was in power then and Mamata Banerjee was part of the Congress. So, why is she blaming the BJP for the incident now? The government has already assigned NIA to investigate the killings. In Bengal, at least 90 people were killed in panchayat poll violence. Weren't they Bengalis? BJP is the only party that brought the citizenship bill for the sake of Bengalis. Will she support this bill?" Ghosh asked.

Meanwhile, a Hindu group, Singha Vahini, has started a campaign calling the BJP "anti-Bengali and anti-Hindu" in Assam. "This looks like a larger conspiracy. If one analyses the NRC draft list, it can be found that a majority of Hindu Bengalis were left out of the NRC. The PM had promised to bring the citizenship bill, but that is yet to be tabled in Parliament," said Prasun Moitra, secretary of Singha Vahini group.

Reacting to these allegations, Mr Ghosh said, "There are splinter groups that are misrepresenting facts, but it will not affect people who have faith in BJP."

The killing of five Bengalis in Assam has pushed panic button in BJP leadership, which is working hard to corner 42 Lok Sabha seats of West Bengal. If insiders are to be believed, BJP can afford to face some reverses on 14 seats of the Lok Sabha in Assam, but setback in West Bengal may cause greater damage to the party in 2019.  

It is significant that Trinamul Congress chief has already been blaming the BJP for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process and the subsequent draft list in which around 40 lakh people, a large number of Bengalis, were left out. Moreover, TMC leaders are preparing to rake up this issue in the winter session of Parliament.