"This is a flagrant desecration of the holy shrine," Trinamool's Abhishek Banerjee said.
The Trinamool Congress and BJP in West Bengal are attacking each other over the alleged disrespect to the Thakurbari Temple, a shrine of the electorally significant Matua community, which both the TMC and the BJP have been trying to reach out to.
Trinamool alleges security personnel, attached to BJP leader and Union Minister Shantanu Thakur, entered the premises with their shoes on and manhandled women. Alleging that they (BJP) have desecrated the sanctity of Thakurbari in the name of politics, Senior TMC leader and the party's National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee said, condemned it as a "shameful display of power".
"I strongly condemn @Shantanu_bjp's outrageous act of storming into Thakurbari Temple with CISF, disrespecting the premise by wearing shoes & physically assaulting women devotees. They have desecrated the sanctity of Thakurbari in the name of politics. Shameful display of power!" he tweeted.
"Women who had gathered at the Thakurbari temple to offer their prayers have come forward, testifying that it was the Central Force, on @BJP4India MP @Shantanu_bjp's command, that wreaked havoc. The CISF entered the temple premises with their shoes on, manhandled women, snatched their jewelries and used unparliamentary language, showing a complete lack of respect for religious sentiments and basic decency. This is a flagrant desecration of the holy shrine, a gross violation of women's dignity and a slap to the face of the peace-loving Matua community," TMC Spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged.
Sharing pictures of the alleged ruckus at the temple, the Trinamool Congress said on Twitter, "Even women are not spared when it comes to @BJP4Bengal's politics of hate and violence. Our worker Ila Bagchi was brutally attacked by BJP goons in Thakurnagar Thakurbari. Shantanu Thakur, is this what PM @narendramodi instructed you to do?"
Union Minister of State for Ports and Shipping and BJP MP Shantanu Thakur, who is also a powerful Matua community leader, said "Surprised to see the goons themselves condemning the attack. As the Sanghadhipati of @aimms_org, I express my disappointment towards the @MamataOfficial government in #WestBengal. The religious freedom has been put on edge & the Matua Community is being cowardly targeted. The Matua Community & its devotees are very well aware of how much the failed Chief Minister & so-called young leader Mr. @abhishekaitc respects the community. The CM herself has been consistent in disrespecting the Matuas as she did earlier, by consciously mispronouncing names of Shri Shri Harichand Thakur Ji & Shri Shri Guruchand Thakur Ji."
"Today's attack is another example of CM's hate for Matua Community & also exposes her real side. The deployment of about 5000 police personnel in Thakurbari has only been done to save goons but not to protect devotees visiting the temple. The whole Matua Community demands an unconditional apology from the CM @MamataOfficial as this incident has crossed the highest bar of humiliation. The injured, including mostly women have been hospitalized while CM and her aide are busy in politicizing the matter, which has become a usual act of the state government, on every matter of violence. It only symbolizes hate, negligence & promotion of violence in this peace-loving state of #WestBengal," Shantanu Thakur added on Twitter.