Bengal: 12 central ministers to rake up issue of post-poll violence again

The hearing on the post-poll violence case in West Bengal at the Calcutta High Court has been concluded on Tuesday. The court has reserved its judgment. However, the BJP has decided to keep the issue alive. Starting from August 17, separate teams accompanied by at least 12 central ministers will be coming to the state to meet family members of the victims.

Kolkata: The hearing on the post-poll violence case in West Bengal at the Calcutta High Court has been concluded on Tuesday. The court has reserved its judgment. However, the BJP has decided to keep the issue burning. Starting from August 17, separate teams accompanied by at least 12 central ministers will be coming to the state to meet family members of the victims. The saffron party plans to keep the issue burning, irrespective of the court's decision.

On August 18, 2021, BJP will come out with four different rallies at four different pockets in the state. Each rally will be led by one central minister. Then three separate teams all led by one or two central ministers will visit the family members of the victims of the post-poll violence in different pockets of the state. More such programmes to follow in the coming days and more central ministers will visit the state during the ongoing month.

Speaking on this issue, BJP's state president in West Bengal, Dilip Ghosh said that recently there was a meeting of the party high command in New Delhi where the decision was taken about the programmes starting from August 18. "On August 14, four central ministers from Bengal will be present. They will meet the family members of the victims of the post-poll violence in the state. Compensation cheques will be handed over to these families. Our main aim is to stand by them. A total of 12 central ministers will visit the state in phases during the current months," Ghosh told ETV Bharat.

BJP sources said that the main aim of this programme is to boost the morale of the BJP workers which is slightly at a lower ebb following the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The saffron camp is in a state of disarray right at this moment. Many BJP workers have already joined Trinamool Congress.

"So recently the party high command convened a meeting to discuss how the BJP workers can be cheered up again. The meeting was attended by 18 BJP Lok Sabha members from West Bengal and two Rajya Sabha members. Apart from that, BJP's National Secretary, Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP's additional central observer, Amit Malviya and the National General Secretary, Shiv Prakash were present," a senior BJP leader said.

BJP sources said that to ensure victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections it is imperative to retain the 18 Lok Sabha seats that BJP had won in 2019. So BJP is trying different ways to strengthen its base in West Bengal. BJP also wanted to bring out a chariot rally in West Bengal, which was cancelled following the state government's denial to permit that. Now questions are being raised on whether BJP will finally get permission for their August 18 rallies.