The attack on the motorcade of BJP president J.P. Nadda in the Diamond Harbour area near Kolkata on Thursday is disquieting. We know the culture of violence appears deeply embedded in West Bengal, ironic as this is for a part of the country to which the uplifting description “renaissance” is ascribed for the all-round effervescence seen here in the nineteenth century in conditions of colonial modernity. No political party operating in the state can claim to be free of guilt in this regard.
Even so, when politically mobilised hooligans, even at a symbolic level — as seems the case in the attack on Mr Nadda’s entourage — target the highest functionary of a political party, in this case the organisational head of the ruling party of the country, it is time for all concerned to reflect and get back to the drawing-board — for the sake of West Bengal and India. If not, political misfortune is apt to overtake us, no matter which party is in the saddle.
The BJP veteran Rajnath Singh, the defence minister and a former BJP chief, put the matter in a very sober way when he noted after the sorry incident, “Attack on political leaders is highly condemnable. The incident should be thoroughly probed and accountability should be fixed.”
This is the right way, but “nothing happened” to Mr Nadda’s convoy, tweeted the state police. It noted, “A few bystanders threw stones at vehicles trailing his convoy. Everyone is safe and the situation is peaceful,” adding that a probe was on. What are they probing if nothing happened and all is tranquil? At any rate, the police are charged with investigating a crime in neutral fashion, not pass judgments.
When the force has already passed a judgment, it is likely the probe will be designed to be a formality. The head of police ought to be asked questions about his organisation taking such a cavalier view of things in its social media interactions — and frankly, in its actions. It should have been proactive in clearing the route the BJP leader’s convoy was taking. If it pleads that it had not been told about it in advance, it is even worse. The local police ought to know. This is no one else’s business, Mr Nadda’s ‘Z plus’ security status notwithstanding.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee can hardly be said to have covered herself with glory when she rhymed disparagingly on Mr Nadda’s name. This is not “bhadralok” at all, and sits even worse on a CM’s tongue. “I have asked the police to find out all this,” she said in public remarks. But she ought to be ordering a magisterial inquiry.
The state is to have Assembly elections in a few months. If events of recent weeks are an indication, political violence may possibly rise. BJP is desperate to unseat Ms Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress. In the circumstances, it is necessary not to fan political passions. Union home minister Amit Shah tweeted soon after the tawdry incident, “The West Bengal government will have to answer for the state-sponsored violence.”
This is an observation laden with political partisanship, and because state polls are due soon it gives off the sense of President’s rule being imposed. The home minister ought to sound more sober and act with due responsibility.
