West Bengal: 2 CISF personnel deputed for BJP leader Dilip Ghosh's security injured in attack
New Delhi/Kolkata, May 13: Two security personnel of the CISF deployed to protect West Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh, were injured in an attack and stone-pelting incident at Bardhaman during the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha polls on Monday, official sources said.
"An incident of stone-pelting on CISF SSG protectee and attack on his vehicle by some miscreants occurred at Bardhaman (WB) in which two CISF personnel sustained head injuries. The protectee was safely evacuated without use of force," the central paramilitary force said in a post on social media platform 'X'.
Official sources confirmed the "protectee" mentioned in the post was West Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh, who is contesting from the Bardhaman-Durgapur seat. Ghosh (59) is a 'Y' category protectee of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) VIP security wing called the Special Security Group (SSG).
The Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency went to polls in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Monday.
"Police are just mute spectators. The TMC has let loose a reign of terror. Since morning, TMC goons have beaten up our polling agents and are not allowing the elections to be free and fair," Ghosh told reporters.
Clashes broke out between supporters of the TMC and the BJP in Monteswar's Susunia area of the Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat in the afternoon, when Ghosh was on his way to a polling booth following complaints of booth jamming.
As Ghosh was on his way, TMC supporters allegedly blocked his convoy and squatted in front of his vehicle, sources said, adding that stones were hurled at his convoy, due to which some of the cars of the security personnel tailing his convoy were damaged.
Ghosh was also heckled by TMC activists, they further said.
Ghosh's convoy was again attacked at the Kalna gate in the constituency, where Ghosh had gone to a booth following allegations of the TMC not allowing BJP's booth agents, the BJP leader said.
The TMC, however, denied the charges and alleged Ghosh was "trying to vitiate the atmosphere sensing defeat."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
RS Chairman accepts merger of 7 AAP MPs with BJP
New Delhi (PTI): Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan on Monday officially accepted the merger of seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MPs with the BJP, reducing the strength of Arvind Kejriwal's party in the Upper House to three.
After this transition, the BJP's strength in the Upper House has increased to 113.
Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Pathak, Vikramjit Sahney, Swati Maliwal, and Rajinder Gupta are the seven MPs who have merged.
ALSO READ: J-K: Six held with drugs, assets worth Rs 73 lakh attached in Udhampur
The Rajya Sabha website now shows that the seven MPs are part of the BJP list of members.
The seven MPs had on Friday petitioned the Rajya Sabha Chairman to be treated as BJP MPs after the merger and the same has been accepted, sources said.
The AAP had on Sunday moved a petition before the RS Chairman seeking the termination of the membership of the seven MPs, who had switched sides.
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh said he has submitted a petition to Chairman Radhakrishnan seeking the disqualification of the seven party MPs in the Upper House, who recently quit the AAP and announced their merger with the BJP.
On Friday last, the AAP suffered a jolt when the seven Rajya Sabha MPs quit and announced merger with the BJP, alleging that the Kejriwal-led party had strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
