Kolkata, May 20: Political temperatures in West Bengal have risen sharply after the newly formed BJP government’s actions triggered a strong response from opposition parties, with the Trinamool Congress preparing for street protests and the CPI ML moving the Calcutta High Court.
According to the TMC, demonstrations will be held on Thursday near Howrah Station, Sealdah Station and Ballygunge. Party leaders, workers, hawkers and members of minority communities are expected to join the protests against what the TMC has described as forced eviction of hawkers and “bulldozer action” by the BJP government.
The protests come in the backdrop of a dramatic political shift in Bengal. The BJP recently secured a historic victory by winning 207 seats, ending the Trinamool Congress’s 15 year rule in the state. The TMC was reduced to 80 seats.
TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, during a meeting with party MLAs at Kalighat on Tuesday, accused the BJP government of targeting minorities and poor hawkers. She alleged that bulldozers were being used against hawkers’ carts and said the new government was disturbing the constitutional values of the country.
“Minority communities are being targeted here. Bulldozers are being run over the carts of hawkers. This government is interfering with our constitutional ideas and values,” Mamata Banerjee said, as quoted by TV9 Hindi.
TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also struck a defiant note, saying the party would continue its political fight against the BJP despite the electoral defeat. He said he would not bow down even if notices were sent or his house was demolished.
Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee is also facing legal trouble after an FIR was filed against him at Bidhannagar North Cyber Crime Police Station over alleged provocative remarks made during election rallies. The complaint alleged that his speeches at Maheshtala, Arambagh, Haringhata and Nandigram could disturb public order.
The Trinamool Congress has also approached the Calcutta High Court seeking intervention over alleged post poll violence in different parts of the state. The party has claimed that its workers and offices were targeted through arson, vandalism and attacks in several districts, including Kolkata and Howrah.
In another legal challenge, the West Bengal unit of CPI ML Liberation has moved the Calcutta High Court against the BJP government’s decision to implement the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950. The party has alleged that the law is being used to restrict animal sacrifice during religious rituals and may affect the religious freedom of the Muslim community as well as the livelihood of farmers and cattle traders.
With protests, court cases and sharp political accusations unfolding together, Bengal appears to be entering a tense new phase where governance, identity, livelihood and law are all set to become major battlegrounds.