Post-poll violence in Bengal, PM calls Guv
KOLKATA: secretary, home secretary, director general of police and Kolkata Police commissioner, at her residence.
Though the state government is yet to confirm how many people died in the post-poll violence, the BJP’S state president, Dilip Ghosh, had claimed on Monday that at least nine persons from various political parties were killed since Sunday, including five from the BJP. On Tuesday TMC leader Firhad Hakim alleged that at least three party workers have died since Sunday.
The TMC said that it was a stunt by the Prime Minister and the situation was being exaggerated. TMC MP Derek O’brien questioned Modi on Covid-19 supplies. “PM makes a call to West Bengal governor on ‘political violence’. (Exaggerated 214%). Stop the stunts, Mr Prime Minister. Work the phones on #COVID19INDIA or this,” O’brien tweeted.
BJP president JP Nadda, who flew down to West Bengal and is expected to camp for two days in the state, compared the incidents to the violence unleashed after India’s partition in 1947.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to governor Jagdeep Dhankhar about the “alarmingly worrisome” law and order situation in West Bengal as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blamed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) for “unprecedented” post-election violence in the state.
The TMC swept back to power in the state on Sunday with 213 seats in the 294-member House. The BJP managed to get 77 seats.
In a tweet, Dhankar said, “PM [Prime Minister] called and expressed his serious anguish and concern at alarmingly worrisome law & order situation @Mamataofficial. I share grave concerns @Pmoindia given that violence vandalism, arson, loot and killings continue unabated. Concerned must act in overdrive to restore order.”
While Dhankhar urged TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, who is scheduled to take oath as the state’s chief minister for a third term on May 5, to restore order, the incumbent chief minister held a meeting with the chief BJP president JP Nadda (left) visits the family of Abhijit Sarkar, who allegedly died in post-poll violence, in Kolkata on Tuesday.