Bombs Thrown At BJP's West Bengal Rally, Party Points At Ruling Trinamool

Bombs were thrown at a rally held by the BJP in West Bengal on Saturday morning. Though police are on the spot there is no official confirmation of the party's claim that five people were injured in the attack.

The attack took place when the rally was passing through Asansol's Barabani area - 210 km west of capital Kolkata. According to BJP leaders, not just bombs, but even shots were fired at the gathering. This led to chaos as people ran helter-skelter. 

The BJP, which is campaigning for next year's Assembly elections with the slogan "Aar Noy Onyay (no more injustice)", has claimed the state's ruling party was behind the attack. The charges have been denied by the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

"Attacks on BJP workers and leaders in West Bengal has become commonplace. People will avenge this culture of violence," said Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP national general secretary and in-charge of West Bengal polls.

BJP's Dilip Ghosh, the state unit president and MP from Medinipur who is campaigning in East Midnapore, said, "The entire whole coal belt area (of which Asansol is a part) is under mafia's control. There is no law and order there."

Trinamool leader Jitendra Tiwari refuted claims that his party was behind the attack. He said shots and bombs were thrown not at the rally, but from the rally. "I demand immediate arrest of the culprits."

A day earlier, referring to the alleged attacks on state's BJP workers by the TMC, Mr Ghosh had warned workers of the ruling party of dire consequences if they did not mend their ways.

"There's still time to mend your ways, or else you people will be beaten up in the middle of the road," he had said.