BJP-TMC feud continues as party accuses WB police of arresting Union Min Shantanu Thakur

The tussle between BJP and TMC persisted in West Bengal after the former accused the state police of arresting Union Minister Shantanu Thakur on Tuesday. This incident reportedly happened at the start of BJP's public outreach initiative 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' which has been rechristened as 'Shahid Samman Yatra' by the state unit of the saffron party. As a part of this programme, 4 new Union Ministers- Thakur, Subhas Sarkar, John Barla and Nisith Pramanik led the Yatra from different parts of West Bengal. 

Thakur claimed that he was arrested at Birati in the North 24 Parganas district when he went to a temple and was taken to the Airport police station with other leaders. While acknowledging that BJP workers were arrested for illegally assembling at the spot, a police official told PTI that the Union Minister had himself boarded the police van. Refuting this claim, he told the media, "If I had got arrested on my own, why will so many others be there with me here". "I believe that democracy and spiritualism has been finished in West Bengal," he added. 

Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra remarked, "The news coming out of Bengal is astonishing and sad. More than 30 workers taking part in the Jan Ashirwad Yatra have been arrested. No reason was given. Jan Ashirwad Yatra is being halted everywhere. The most unfortunate thing is the Matua community's son Shantanu Thakur who was made a Minister has been arrested. This is very sad. Mamata Ji, is this behaviour appropriate after the son of the Matua community has become a Minister?" 

BJP's outreach to Matua community

A leader of the All India Matua Mahasangha, Shantanu Thakur became the first non-TMC MP to be elected in the Bangaon Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 General Election. His stature in BJP became apparent after he accompanied Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a two-day visit to Bangladesh in March this year. In fact, WB CM Mamata Banerjee accused PM Modi of violating the Model Code of Conduct accusing him of seeking votes from one section of people while the polling was underway in the state. 

This was a reference to his visit to Orakandi, the birthplace of the Matua sect founder Harichand Thakur. Moreover, he even met representatives of the Matua community in the presence of NSA Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and promised that the Indian government will upgrade one middle school and set up a primary school in Orakandi. It was perceived as an attempt to woo members of this community that play a key role in deciding the fate of at least 30 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal. Eventually, TMC was re-elected to power with an even bigger majority.