TMC questions BJP team's visit to North 24-Parganas district

Kolkata, Jun 1: The

on Sunday lashed out at

over the visit of its central team to

district following the May 28 attack on some party workers there, saying the state's ruling "party was not perturbed and not afraid of Delhi".

"The people of Bengal democratically elected Mamata Banerjee. In the recent (Lok Sabha) election also we got 34 seats (out of 42), so it is no use showing us Delhi, we are not afraid of it," Trinamool Congress secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said at a press conference.

He was referring to BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's statement that it would seek the Prime Minister's intervention if post-poll violence was not contained.

A five-member BJP delegation had yesterday visited Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas district, where 30 BJP workers were injured in firing allegedly by Trinamool Congress supporters on May 28.

The team comprised party spokesperson and MP Meenakshi Lekhi, vice presidents S S Ahluwalia, Naqvi, Siddharth Nath Singh, who is also in charge of party affairs in the state, and MP Babul Supriyo. Chatterjee today claimed that the BJP team landed here for a few hours and "was trying to create disturbance in Bengal by making inflammatory speeches."

He claimed that during the three-year rule of TMC in West Bengal, the people had stood by the party in all the elections in support of all-round development of the state and its people.

"So, I want to tell them (the BJP team) that don't show us Delhi, we have seen a lot of such attempts earlier also. We are not perturbed," the TMC leader said in the presence of party all India general secretary Mukul Roy.

He further claimed that one of the members of the team had said that it had seen everything and would report to Delhi. "It is unfortunate that someone makes such comments just to be in the race for ministership," Chatterjee, who is also the state Education and Parliamentary Affairs minister, said.

Asked if the TMC leadership would visit Sandeshkhali, he retorted, "Why? Just because someone has gone, so we will have to follow suit? We are assessing the situation and will do whatever is necessary."

Though the BJP managed to win only two out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, it has increased its vote share from just over 6 per cent in the last election to 17 per cent in the 2014 general election.

PTI