Calcutta High Court allows BJP president Amit Shah's rally in Kolkata

Kolkata, Nov 28: The Calcutta High Court on Friday allowed BJP chief Amit Shah to hold rally outside the Victoria Hall, a popular venue for political meetings in Kolkata on Sunday.

With the Trinamool Congress-run Kolkata Municipal Corporation refusing to grant permission to BJP president Amit Shah's rally on November 30, BJP approached the High Court seeking justice and restoration of democracy.

"It has been decided by the KMC authority in the light of a report submitted by a group of engineers that the application suffers from deficiency and as such the prayer of the petitioner may not be acceded to as decided by the KMC," Commissioner of KMC Khalil Ahmed said in his communication to the BJP.

Criticising the KMC's stand, state BJP president Rahul Sinha said that the TMC was afraid of the BJP and by "declaring undeclared emergency, it was trying to gag the voice of the Opposition". "On the instruction of the chief minister, the authorities are refusing permission to hold the meeting," he alleged.

"We shall move the Calcutta High Court again tomorrow as we have full faith on the Judiciary. We hope to get justice allowing us to hold the rally beside Victoria House," Sinha said.

Denied permission to hold the rally at Victoria House, where the ruling Trinamool Congress usually organises its annual martyrs' day rally, the BJP state unit had moved the bench of Justice Debangshu Basak alleging discrimination by the city police.

"The growth of BJP in Bengal has shaken the Trinamool leadership and the movement of Banerjee's core voters the minorities to BJP has taken her sleep away. The desperate move of stopping a democratic right of holding a rally will boomerang on Trinamool and particularly on Banerjee," said Singh, also the party's observer for the state.

Singh as well as party's state unit chief Rahul Sinha asserted the rally will be held as scheduled and the "Trinamool government responsible for the consequences".

(With inputs from agencies)

OneIndia News