Just before the Parliament session, BJP ups the ante; it intends to target West Bengal as a ‘Jehadi Hub’.
New Delhi : The contours of the flip-flop relationship between Narendra Modi and Mamata Bannerjee are changing yet again. With BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya signalling an aggressive stance towards the Mamata government, the recent bonhomie between the BJP and the TMC may be a thing of the past. The party is all set to hit the streets following reports that West Bengal is turning into a ‘Jehadi hub’.
Coming just three days before the crucial monsoon session of Parliament, the developments may reflect both in the House and on the streets of West Bengal.
The TMC, which started out as the loudest opposition party after Narendra Modi became PM, had mellowed down recently. The party voted in favour of a few important legislations of the government, including the Coal and Mines Bill and the Minerals Bill. The high point of the bonhomie was Mamata agreeing to the land swap deal with Bangladesh and then accompanying the PM to Dhaka. The fact that the relations between the two parties improved dramatically after the BJP’s wash out in the local body polls in Bengal was not lost on observers.
But with Kailash Vijayvargiya taking over as the in charge of the sensitive state, the BJP decided not to sit quiet anymore. West Bengal goes to polls in early 2016 and the party would like to re-energize its cadres and consolidate the organization. Vijayvargiya has already drawn up a programme of action after his first visit to the state. He is scheduled to go to Kolkata again next week.
Indicating a clear change in the strategy, BJP secretary and co in-charge of Bengal, Siddharth Nath Singh, said, ‘‘NIA has reported that at least four districts of the state have turned into ‘Jehadi’ hubs. After building a network, the ‘Jehadi’ elements have now started training camps in the state. The state intelligence and police have turned a blind eye to it.’’
Singh also raised the kidnapping of a 14-year old girl Tuktuki Mandal. The minor was kidnapped once and her release facilitated by the local police. She was again kidnapped recently and is traceless. The BJP spokesman claimed that the kidnapped girls’ father has named a top TMC leader in the case. The state BJP is protesting on the issue. Party chief Amit Shah has even ordered a three-member BJP committee to visit the area and report on the situation. Tuktuki Mandal’s case has been trending the charts on social media platforms for the last few days as various social organisations have also started a campaign for her.
