BJP president J P Nadda’s convoy was allegedly attacked by Trinamool Congress (TMC) cadres in the Diamond Harbour area of West Bengal on Thursday. The TMC denied any role in the incident.
Nadda was unhurt in the attack in which his vehicle was pelted with stones and even sticks were thrown at it.
Several other vehicles of senior BJP leaders like General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, vice president Mukul Roy and state BJP president Dilip Ghosh were damaged during the attack. Vijayvargiya and Roy, besides some of the security personnel, were injured in the attack.
Nadda said eight BJP workers were injured in the attack.
The incident took place at the Shirakole area of Diamond Harbour in the afternoon. Bricks, bottles and sticks were hurled at Nadda’s convoy shattering the windscreens of several vehicles. A BJP worker suffered a head injury as he was hit by a brick. Earlier in the day, Nadda’s convoy was blocked by TMC cadres in the Sarisha area of Diamond Harbour.
Within hours of the incident, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated in a tweet that the Centre has taken the matter very seriously and sought a report from the West Bengal government. He criticised the TMC government over the incident.
“Today, the National President of BJP in Bengal @JPNadda. The attack is very condemnable. The central government is taking this attack very seriously. The Bengal government will have to answer to the peace loving people of the state for this sponsored violence,” tweeted Shah.
“Bengal has gone into an era of tyranny, anarchy and darkness under the Trinamool rule. The manner in which political violence has been institutionalised and brought to the extreme within West Bengal under TMC rule is sad and worrying for all those who believe in democratic values,” tweeted Shah.
Nadda said that he remained unscathed in the attack as he was traveling in a bulletproof vehicle. Addressing BJP workers at a party rally in Diamond Harbour, he described the incident as “shocking” and alleged that “utter lawlessness and anarchy” was prevailing in Bengal.
“The police and the administration have been politicized. Lawless is prevailing in Bengal and goonda raj is going on under the TMC regime… I am able to reach here due to Maa Durga’s blessings. If this is what happens to senior leaders, I can imagine the plight of BJP workers,” said Nadda.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, however, questioned the authenticity of the incident.
“Why were there 50 vehicles with you? If so, there can be an accident while one tries to overtake another. So who was watching? Was it planned? Who threw the stones? Who took the photos and videos of a brick hitting a tail car? How was it done so quickly?” asked Banerjee.
The West Bengal police, in a series of tweets, stated that “nothing happened to his (Nadda’s) convoy” and he reached his destination safely, adding that few bystanders threw stones in Debipur at vehicles far behind his convoy. It stated that an investigation was on to find out what actually happened.