'Mamata chose lathi charge, Rahul chose silence': BJP attacks Cong, Trinamool over B'desh issue

New Delhi, Dec 24 (IANS) The BJP on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress over remarks made by its leaders on the situation in Bangladesh, while also targeting the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal for resorting to a lathi-charge on people protesting against alleged atrocities on minorities in the neighbouring country. 

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused the opposition of indulging in appeasement politics instead of standing united on what he described as a humanitarian issue.

"Senior leaders of the Congress party, like Digvijaya Singh, go so far as to justify the lynching of a Hindu by calling it an 'action-reaction'. At a time when the entire opposition should stand united with the government, because this is not a political issue but a matter of humanity, appeasement politics takes priority," Bhandari said.

Taking aim at multiple opposition leaders, the BJP spokesperson alleged selective silence and action driven by vote bank considerations.

"Mamata Banerjee chose lathi charge on Hindus, Digvijaya Singh justified lynching of Hindu youth, and Rahul Gandhi, sitting in Germany, chose silence. This shows that the top leaders of the opposition, due to their appeasement politics for their vote bank politics, chose to silently accept the mob lynching of the Hindu youth in Bangladesh," he said.

Bhandari further claimed that had opposition leaders genuinely opposed the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, their response would have been different.

"If they had not chosen to silently accept the atrocities against the Hindus in Bangladesh, then Rahul Gandhi or Akhilesh Yadav or even Mamata Banerjee would have said something; Mamata Banerjee would not have lathi-charged the people protesting in West Bengal," he added.

The BJP spokesperson also strongly criticised the West Bengal Chief Minister over the police action against protesters in Kolkata.

"People, saints were folding their hands and asking the officials not to resort to a lathi-charge on them and let them stage a protest peacefully, but the police did not agree. The Mamata government must grant Hindus the democratic right to protest peacefully and must stop using lathis against them," Bhandari said.

Protests over the killing of a garment factory worker in Bangladesh escalated in Kolkata on Tuesday, when police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse demonstrators who attempted to march towards the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in the Beckbagan area.

The incident led to clashes and caused major traffic disruptions in parts of the city.

During the press conference, Bhandari also displayed alleged photographs showing West Bengal Police dispersing protesters who were demonstrating against the situation in Bangladesh.

Referring to the images, he alleged, "This shows that in West Bengal, while the police support actions like laying the foundation for Babri Masjid, anyone protesting in support of a Hindu brother is met with lathi-charge."

Warning of intensified political action, the BJP spokesperson said the party would continue to stand with those protesting.

"If this injustice continues, the Bharatiya Janata Party will stand firmly in West Bengal with every Bengali Hindu. The brutal killing of Hindus in Bangladesh has angered the entire nation," he added.

--IANS

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