Bengal BJP chief calls for violent political paybacks to Trinamool

Kolkata, June 23 West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday once again courted fresh controversy as he said that his party would adopt the same political strategy to counter the state's ruling Trinamool Congress that believes in resorting to violence.

Earlier, Ghosh had released a slogan on the social networking sites that read "bodlao hobe, bodol o hobe" which means there will be revenge as well as changes.

"If they take up swords, we will take up swords. If they fight with knives, we will take knives. As many as 104 BJP activists were killed in various political clashes across Bengal in past few years. We will answer them in the same language they believe in. They (Trinamool Congress) will not be able to stop us with the help of police forces," Ghosh said.

The BJP state chief said that his party has nothing to hide and the political change in Bengal is just a matter of time.

"BJP does not believe in violence and revenge. But if anyone thinks they can suppress us and kill our supporters like this, we are ready to counter them in their language of violence. We are not cowards. We will pay them back everything with interest," he hollered, adding that BJP also does what it says.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal police registered an FIR against Ghosh and other BJP leaders for gathering at the party's Subhash Nagar office on June 20 without permission. The BJP president along with the other party members assembled in West Midnapore's police station area to pay last respects to a party worker, Pawan Jana of Dantan, who was allegedly killed by Trinamool Congress-backed goons.

"Trinamool Congress will not be able to stop us by filing FIRs. They have given over 29,000 cases against BJP workers across Bengal," Ghosh added.

Reacting to Ghosh's comments, state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim said that the people of Bengal do not believe in violence and the school of politics that BJP is trying to practice in the state.

"People will reject them (BJP). The politics of violence and separatism do not work in West Bengal," Hakim said dubbing BJP as a communal party.

Senior Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said: "It is expected from the BJP state president to sound like that. They believe in violence and communalism as always. We have seen it in other states. Now their party is taking the same line in Bengal as well."

( With inputs from IANS )