Arrest Dilip Ghosh for shielding Gurung, says Partha Chatterjee

Kolkata: Trinamul Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee on Saturday demanded the arrest of state BJP president Dilip Ghosh and others for staying in touch with top Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leaders including chief Bimal Gurung as the ruling party hit the streets across the state including Kolkata to protest the burning of effigies of chief minister Mamata Banerjee by the BJP a day before and Mr Ghosh’s Darjeeling visit.

On Thursday the BJP took out rallies to protest the heckling of Mr Ghosh in the Hills.

The Trinamul workers also burnt Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s effigies. Without taking the name of the Kharagpur MLA, Mr Chatterjee said, “Mr Ghosh has gone to the Hills for fishing in the troubled water. He is instigating unrest here by making provocative comments. He even spoke to Mr Gurung.”

Mr Chatterjee added, “We demand that the administration must collect information about those who stay in touch with Mr Gurung and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri. Those persons should be arrested by the police immediately.” The education minister was talking to the media at a protest rally in Behala.

Mr Gurung, who has been booked under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, has gone into hiding. Mr Giri, who has also a case against him, was seen meeting Union Home minister Rajnath Singh recently in New Delhi. State power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay who led a rally in the city said, “We took out rallies and burnt the PM’s effigy to counter the BJP’s attempt to create disturbance in the Darjeeling Hills.”

The state BJP president however said that any political party can hold demonstration in opposition in a democracy. “But the TMC has no issue to fight for. The public is against them,” he alleged.

Mr Ghosh claimed, “The municipal polls showed how the ruling party misused power. That is why they are now trying to do everything by force.”