Saturday's clashes have set the stage for more Trinamool-BJP collision in Barrackpore
Highlights
- Huge crowd shouted Jai Shri Ram slogans near Trinamool worker's house
- Trinamool Ministers Jyotipriyo Mallick and Taposh Roy were heckled
- Police had to resort to lathicharge to control the crowd
Jai Shri Ram slogans hit the Trinamool Congress again on Saturday, this time in Barrackpore constituency's Kanchrapara area.
Three ministers of the Mamata Banerjee government were holding a party meeting at a worker's house when a huge crowd shouting the slogan gathered about 200 metres away. The police tried to stop them and had to eventually resort to lathicharge to control the crowd.
Ministers Jyotipriyo Mallick and Taposh Roy were heckled as their convoys left the area. After they left, BJP supporters blocked trains at the Kanchrapara station for about 15 minutes.
Around 4pm, BJP workers went on dharna outside the Jagaddal police station, around 17 km away. The newly elected BJP lawmakers are also supposed to join the dharna.
On Thursday, Mamata Banerjee lost her temper twice in a month as a group of people chanted "Jai Shri Ram" slogans as she drove past in Bhatpara. She got off her car and reprimanded the people. But when she was getting into her car, the slogans started again. This time, she charged at the people, calling them "criminals" and "outsiders".
On Friday, the police arrested at least 10 young men for local crimes but BJP claims they were arrested for chanting Jai Shi Ram. The officer in charge of the local police station was replaced on Friday.
Early last month, Mamata Banerjee was greeted with Jai Shri Ram chants in Arambagh. The Trinamool Congress chief immediately rolled down the window of her car and asked the driver to stop. Then she got off and asked those raising the slogans to come talk to her. But they fled.
Kanchrapara is a stronghold of former Trinamool now BJP leader Mukul Roy and his son Shubhranshu Roy who also recently switched sides.
Yesterday's clashes have set the stage for more Trinamool-BJP collision in Barrackpore. Clashes have also been reported from other parts of the state.
Over the last week, Ms Banerjee's troops - several legislators, councilors and more than 60 corporators -- have defected to the BJP.
On Thursday, Ms Banerjee skipped Prime Minister Narendra Modi's oath in Delhi as the BJP said they would invite 50 families from Bengal to the ceremony. They were the relatives of party workers killed by Trinamool men, the BJP said.