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JP Nadda in West Bengal, BJP campaign in full swing.

This is JP Nadda’s first visit to Bengal since his convoy was stoned at Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district on December 10th. Security arrangements for him have been tightened manifold in view of the attack. He will launch the party’s first campaign aimed at farmers in poll-bound West Bengal when he visits the East Burdwan district, which is considered as the state’s rice bowl.

He will organize a ‘Krishok Surokkha’ (farmers’ protection) meeting. BJP announced that this meeting will mark the beginning of 40,000 such meetings to be held across Bengal before the elections.

One of his plans includes kick-starting a door-to-door rice collection program which has been named ‘Ek Mutthi Chawal Sangrah’ (collecting a fistful of rice) campaign in Jagadananadapur village after offering prayers at a popular temple, after which he will also have lunch at a local farmer’s home. The BJP Central Office released a statement, “The ‘Ek Mutthi Chawal Sangrah’ campaign is to reassert the party and its government’s commitment and conviction towards the growth, progress, and prosperity of farmers. Prior to the 2021 Vidhan Sabha elections in West Bengal, the BJP will reach out to the homes of all the 73 lakh villages across the state,”.

JP Nadda will also visit the historic Sarbamangala temple in Burdwan town and lead a roadshow from Burdwan Clock Tower to the Curzon Gate. After which, he will address the media and the party’s core committee members before finally returning to Delhi.

Details of the attack:-

Stones, bricks, and bottles were hurled at the passing vehicles, shattering the windows. Several vehicles of the party’s convoy suffered damage, leaving many people injured, including the party’s national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya. Various videos of the incident that surfaced on social media and circulated by the BJP showed TMC supporters holding flags on both sides of the road. Although, four persons were arrested from Falta and three from the Usthi police station area, both in the South 24 Parganas district. All of the accused were booked under various sections of the IPC for rioting, obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions, and other offenses.

JP Nadda took a jibe at Abhishek Banerjee, who is the nephew of the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee by saying, “The point-blank attack on a protectee like me is a testament to the state of law and order to which a regular citizen is subject.”

Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee however refuted the allegations and said, “They [BJP activists] are coming out [for rallies] with arms every day. They are slapping themselves and blaming it on the Trinamool Congress,” “They are roaming around with the BSF, CRPF, Army and the CISF (personnel). Why are they so scared?”

Trinamool Congress ( TMC )’s a rebuttal :

The TMC called the ‘Ek Mutthi Chawal Sangrah’ ridiculous and meaningless. Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member and party spokesperson, Saugata Roy said, “This is ridiculous. At a time when thousands of farmers are agitating outside the gates of Delhi against the Centre’s farm laws, going for a symbolic procurement of rice at a village in Katwa is meaningless. There is no problem with procurement in Bengal. Nadda should rather stay in Delhi and talk to the farmers whose problems are yet to be resolved,”.

Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee wrote to the Centre on September 9th that she was open to the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme for farmers and the Ayushman Bharat Yojana health-care scheme, only if the funds were transferred directly to her government for disbursement, which was, of course, refused by the BJP.