Cong's Adhir Chowdhury holds protest over deteriorating law & order situation in Bengal

Taking on the Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury along with his party workers on Saturday held a protest against the state government over law and order situation, and unemployment condition in West Bengal. Chowdhury asserted that a third option will come to power with the coalition of Congress and the Left parties in West Bengal.

The protest witnessed scores of Congress workers bearing party flags and marching on the road. Also, there were posters and slogans raised against the state government.

"The West Bengal Congress has called for a protest against the anti-peasant black law of the BJP government at the Centre and the anti-people policies of the state's grassroots government. The Congress and the Left will work together to create a third option; that third option will come to power in Bengal in the coming days," Chowdhury told reporters.

The Congress leader also spoke about the advisory issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to all the State and Union Territories (UTs) over the crime against women and said that earlier also many advisories were issued in the past but the state government did not bother.

BJP had also held a protest march against the collapsing law and order situation and the corruption in the state, however, its protest was suppressed by the West Bengal Government. Lashing out at the state government, BJP leader Chandra Kumar Bose slammed the use of lathis and water cannons on the BJP workers saying, "This was a peaceful rally taken out by the BJP Youth wing. In Kolkata, there is no democracy, no law and order. It was a rally taken out peacefully, it was unnecessarily provocated from the side of the West Bengal and police." 

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BJP's "Nabbana Chalo" Rally

The BJP workers were marching to state secretariat Nabanna today to hold a major public meeting against the alleged killing of its party workers in the state. Four major rallies - three from Kolkata and one from Howrah - were to march towards the state secretariat at Sibpur in Howrah district. However, shortly after the workers kicked off the rally, the West Bengal Police used water cannon and lathi-charge to disperse BJP workers at different areas in Kolkata. Some places also witnessed stone-pelting as police used tear-gas to control the protestors. 

The West Bengal state government has also been facing criticism after the police allegedly assaulted and pulled the turban of a Sikh man who participated in the BJP's protest. However, the police said the person was carrying a firearm and that his headgear "had fallen off automatically in the scuffle that ensued". Following the incident, the Sikh community around the world, with top Sikh leaders have demanded Mamata Banerjee to take strict action against those responsible for the act. 

(With ANI inputs)

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