BJP Leader's House Bombed As Mamata Banerjee Protests 'Trinamool-Bandi'

BJP leader Krishna Bhattacharya's house in Kolkata's Uttarpara was bombed late last night allegedly by Trinamool Congress workers. "Three men with their faces covered barged into my house, smashed windowpanes, damaged furniture, abused and assaulted me," Ms Bhattacharya said in her police complaint. She has sustained injuries and is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Condemning the attack, senior BJP leader Sidharth Nath Singh said, "If Mamata Banerjee wants to say it's going to be 'Trinamool-bandi', let me assure her that BJP is determined and we will remove their 'bhrashtachar-bandi' and 'gunda-bandi' from Bengal." He also alleged, "The police looked the other way as our office was attacked."

Last week, the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Trinamool's Tapas Pal, an actor-turned-politician, for his alleged involvement in a ponzi scheme in which thousands of small investors were allegedly cheated. Ms Banerjee said the arrests were made on the directions of the Prime Minister's Office.

"I am shocked, but not scared. Let him arrest all of us. I openly challenge him to arrest me. Let me see his guts. He may silence others, but not me. He can't suppress our voice. He can't bulldoze people's voice," Ms Banerjee said adding, "We will fight legal battle in every case."

The Trinamool supporters, who have planned massive protest over the arrests of its leaders, shouted slogans and blocked the entrances to the BJP office. A few BJP workers bled from the head as they spoke to the media. After the attack, Central Reserve Police Force or CRPF was deployed outside the BJP office.

State BJP President Dilip Ghosh, condemning the attack on the BJP office, said: "This attack was expected. The Trinamool Congress has become scared after the arrest of their Lok Sabha leader and is resorting to violence. This shows who is doing 'vendetta politics' in the country."

The CBI is investigating the unregulated financial investment schemes that were run by Rose Valley - a Bengal firm. The case, filed two years ago, accuses Rose Valley of stealing nearly 17,000 crores from investors.

Mr Pal was a director in two companies owned by Rose Valley. CBI sources say Mr Bandyopadhyay has avoided answering their question on the nature of his links with Rose Valley. Mr Bandyopadhyay said the allegations against him are unclear.

Fiercely criticising the PM's abrupt decision to ban high value notes, Ms Banerjee has led the opposition's attack on the government over demonetisation. Ms Banerjee says notes ban - declared with the intent of cracking down on black or unaccounted money -  has led to massive cash crunch in the country and millions of poor people are unable to earn or access their savings in an economy nearly entirely dependent on cash, especially in rural areas.

The Congress also alleged that Mr Bandyopadhyay's arrest was "vendetta unleashed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his detractors".