Panchayat elections: BJP says won’t tolerate muscle power

Kolkata: Sending a strong warning to the Trinamul Congress state BJP president Dilip Ghosh has threatened to pay back in the same coin if anyone would exercise muscle power during the panchayat elections. He however reposed faith in the judiciary in deciding the future of the panchayat polls which have been marked by an uncertainty following a stay order till Monday by the Calcutta high court last week.

Bantering Mr Ghosh Trinamul Congress minister Sadhan Pande described him as a “mad”.

On Sunday, Mr Ghosh told the BJP workers at a meeting at Mahishadal in East Midnapore, “Till date I have said we beat the goons. Now we will thrash the strongmen. No one will be spared. If anyone tries to find a solution by flexing muscle power, we will also resort to muscle power. Be it a leader or cadre or a goon or a strongman, worship them with the same flower which they want. We have kept flowers ready for all. They will be used at the right time.”

The BJP MLA of Kharagpur said, “For instance, they (Trinamool) are now complaining that the BJP is beating them. If the BJP beats indeed, it does not give the scope to speak up. If needed, we will give all kinds of medicines.”

He later elaborated, “We have faith in the court that it will make an way-out. Those who earlier failed to submit their nominations, will get a chance. How it will happen, will be decided by the court and West Bengal State Election Commission.”

Mr Ghosh argued, “We have been on the ground to fight the elections. We have fielded 35000 candidates. We will fight in 35000 seats for which we have also started our preparations. While I have launched campaign from April 12, other leaders have been doing it in the districts. So we will fight inside and outside the court. The actual battle will be on the ground. We have started our battle. The commission assumes the dates may postpone. But it will be decided by the court and we will work according to that.”

Training guns on the Trinamul the state BJP president declared, “Those who are trying to loot demoncratic rights of the people in West Bengal and indulging in hooliganism by defying the law, we will do everything to make them straight. In the Trinamool all filed nominations in 70000 seats. Besides none in an additional 12,000-15000 will leave a single inch of ground.

The Trinamool should fight it out with them. Then they have to come to fight us. There will be bloodbath, which earlier happened also, if they try to withdraw nominations.

Mocking Mr Ghosh, Mr Pande claimed, “There is a mad in my ward. He is roaming around and he is indulging this kind of activities. He is making unnecessary comments. Within few days, a ritual will be performed so that he speaks good language. Everyone will listen to whoever speaks in good language and with love.”