Sporadic violence during BJP-called Bengal shutdown
Kolkata, Sep 26 : Sporadic incidents of violence and vandalism were reported from some West Bengal districts on Wednesday during the BJP sponsored 12-hour shut down in the state. Normal life though remained largely unaffected in the capital city and adjoining suburbs.
Most of the impact of the shutdown was felt in parts of North Dinajpur district where two youths were allegedly killed during a clash last week between agitating students and the police over teacher recruitment at a state-run school.
Condemning the incident the Bharatiya Janata Party had called for Wednesday's shutdown and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the matter.
The BJP supporters created road blockades in several areas in the district by felling tree trunks and burning tyres in the Islampur area. A number of state-run buses were vandalised and set on fire.
Women and youths, armed with bamboo sticks and iron rods, were seen obstructing the traffic on the roads.
Clashes between the ruling Trinamool Congress and BJP supporters took place in Cooch Behar and Nadia districts. The police resorted to baton charge and used tear gas shells to disperse the mob.
Train services were partially disrupted in both Sealdah and Howrah division of the Eastern Railway.
Titagarh, Aranghata (Ranaghat Gede section), Krishnanagar, Barasat, Pyradanga (Kalyani Ranaghat section) and Bhabla (Barasat Bangaon) routes in the Sealdah division were obstructed.
In the Howrah division, agitators obstructed train movement at Bansberia (Bandel Katwa section) and at Baidyabati (Howrah Bandel section).
A number of state-run buses were vandalised in Howrah and Cooch Behar districts.
In Kolkata, though, people hit the streets in the morning and many public and private buses, taxis, autos were seen playing normally on the roads. Most shops remained closed.
The state BJP leadership said people were spontaneously supporting the shutdown.
"While buses are available, most of them are running empty. I got into a number of buses since morning and requested the commuters to support our cause.
"None of the buses remain this empty during office hours on a general day. This shows people are spontaneously supporting the shutdown," state BJP leader Roopa Ganguly said.
"We will not resort to any form of violence. We know Trinamool is always prepared to attack us. But we are holding the shutdown in a peaceful manner," she claimed.
State Minister and Trinamool Congress' Secretary General Partha Chatterjee had said that the government would take all measures to maintain public utility services.
State BJP President Dilip Ghosh has said there would be repercussions if the ruling Trinamool deploys hooligans or uses the administration to foil the movement.
The state government has issued a circular stating its offices would remain open on Wednesday and no leave would be granted. It also urged banks, educational institutions including schools and colleges to remain open.
Additional police personnel have been deployed throughout the state to prevent any disruption or violence in connection with the shutdown.
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'Last rites' of INDIA bloc: BJP on Cong-DMK fallout in Tamil Nadu
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Wednesday took a swipe at the Congress for extending support to Vijay's TVK in forming the government in Tamil Nadu and breaking away from its long term ally DMK, saying the party has a history of "betraying" its allies.
The saffron party also attacked the opposition INDIA bloc, claiming the alliance is "falling apart like a pack of cards" and lacks any common ideology or vision.
The Tamil Nadu Congress has decided to support TVK leader Vijay in forming a secular government in the state, sources said.
The decision to support the TVK was taken at an urgent meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of Tamil Nadu Congress late on Tuesday night.
Reacting to the development, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed the INDIA alliance had effectively come to an end after the declaration of assembly election results on May 4.
"There is nobody whom the Congress has not deceived. Imagine what they will do to the Samajwadi Party if they have done this to the DMK," he wrote in a post on X.
Calling it the "last rites" of the INDIA bloc, Poonawalla, in a video post, said, "It has become a Bharat free of the DMK, TMC and the Left, and now Congress has dumped the DMK for the TVK."
The BJP spokesperson alleged that the opposition bloc was formed solely out of political compulsions and personal ambitions.
"The INDI alliance never had any mission or vision. It was only about ambition for position, corruption, commission and obsession against Modi ji that they came together. But now it is all falling apart like a pack of cards," he said.
Questioning the unity of the opposition parties, Poonawalla said the alliance was absent in several states during the election.
"Where was the INDI alliance in Bengal, in Kerala, in Gujarat, in Punjab, in Delhi, in Haryana, in Karnataka? There is no INDI alliance," he said.
The DMK on Wednesday described the Congress move to extend support to TVK as a "backstab" by its long-time national ally.
Speaking to PTI videos, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Anadurai said, "The Congress party has decided to ally with the TVK, pledging their support to the party. I think they have backstabbed... They have backstabbed the people of Tamil Nadu. They've backstabbed the mandate given by the people of Tamil Nadu."
He said that the decision came even before the electoral process had fully concluded.
"Even before the ink on the returning officer's signature on the victory certificate dried up, they've chosen to go ahead with an alliance," he said.
Vijay's TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, falling short of the halfway mark. He needs the support of 10 MLAs to form a government with a simple majority. The results were declared only on Monday.
The Congress has won five seats, while the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has bagged four seats. The CPI and CPI-M have two seats each. The outgoing ruling party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has won 59 seats while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has won 47 seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won only one seat, and so have the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK), while the VCK has won two seats.
The Congress had fought the assembly polls in a pre-poll alliance with the DMK, while the BJP had a tie-up with the AIADMK.
