Ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) proposed rath yatra in West Bengal, a war of words has broken out between the saffron party and the Left front. The Communist parties have also declared their intention of hitting the streets, while the BJP has threatened to crush the parties under the wheels of its rath.
State BJP president Dilip Ghosh called the Left parties Naxals, saying, "We are looking for those Naxals. If we get them on the road, we will crush them under the wheels of the rath."
The Trinamool Congress, meanwhile, has said attempts to disrupt peace and order would be dealt with strongly.
The Left front had already announced its intention of observing December 6 as 'Communal Harmony Day' in memory of the Babri Masjid demolition.
State president of the BJP's mahila morcha Locket Chatterjee further added, "Those who try to stop the rath yatra will be crushed under its wheels."
State education minister Partha Chatterjee said the statements amounted to a threat on someone's life. "Threatening to crush someone under the wheels of a chariot amounts to murder. The administration should take steps against these threats. People of Bengal are politically aware and they will reply to these threats in a fitting manner," he said.
Locket, who was in Malda on Saturday to attend a meeting to decide the role of women in the party, said women feel insecure in the state. "The message would be to all the women of the state, that despite there being a woman chief minister, the state's women feel insecure," Chatterjee said.
The BJP will hold three rath yatras, the first of which will be held on December 5 from Tarapith in Birbhum, the second on December 7 from Cooch Behar, and the third from South 24 Parganas district. Party president Amit Shah is expected to be present at all three. Party sources said that other than these three yatras, there will also be smaller rallies at places where bigger chariots wouldn't be able to reach.
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 "Amit Shah (left) and state president Dilip Ghosh will attend the rally")
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