In a swipe against the state government, senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh remarked on Friday that "similar mistakes" of restricting the BJP from hosting rallies are inadvertently generating publicity for the saffron camp.
Ghosh emphasised that the "overconfidence" of certain leaders within the party is adversely impacting its public image.
Noting that processions, rallies, and meetings are a "regular feature" in West Bengal, a division bench of Calcutta High Court upheld a single-bench order permitting a public meeting organised by the BJP and addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on November 29 in Kolkata.
The division bench, presided over by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam, dismissed an appeal by the West Bengal government challenging the November 20 order of the single bench.
Ghosh, known as a close associate of TMC's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, expressed his opinion that the BJP, considered a spent force in Bengal politics, would not significantly impact the state's political landscape by holding a rally in Kolkata.
He said, "Even if they conduct a rally in the heart of Kolkata, they can hardly make any difference. So, there is no need to deny them permission. By denying them permission, you have provided them with a handle." Ghosh urged the TMC-led state government to avoid repeating similar mistakes due to the overconfidence of certain leaders, emphasizing that such errors are detrimental to the party's public image.
The scheduled rally by Shah has been a source of contention between the opposition BJP and the ruling TMC in the state, with the latter denying any involvement in the matter.
Lauding the court's ruling, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar expressed gratitude and remarked, "Democracy is dying in Bengal and is on its deathbed. We thank the Calcutta High Court for upholding the rule of law. It is a matter of shame that to conduct a rally, we have to move court."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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