In an attempt to kick-off the campaign in the run up to Lok Sabha elections, BJP held massive bike rallies in all 42 Parliamentary Constituencies of West Bengal. Lakhs of BJP supporters held multiple "Vijay Sankalp Bike Rally" in Kolkata and every district of the state. There was lathicharge on supporters in districts like Malda, Murshidabad, where they were not given permission to hold rallies and hundreds were detained by the police authorities. BJP Mahila Morcha President Locket Chatterjee alleged that permission for bike rallies were denied as Mamata Banerjee was scared of losing upcoming elections. "PM Narendra Modi supported Indian Army at the time of Pulwama terror attack. But Mamata Banerjee always says positive things about Pakistan. In upcoming elections, Trinamool Congress will be able to win just 12 out of 42 seats," said Chatterjee. There were massive traffic jams in Kolkata due to the rallies. In areas like Howrah, Strand Road, Jadavpur, North Kolkata and Central Avenue BJP workers held traffic for many hours. Sayantan Basu, General Secreatary State General Secretary, was leading the protests. He and many other BJP leaders in the state were detained by the police. Basu claimed that BJP workers were celebrating Abhinandan Varthaman's return to India and police stopped them unnecessarily. "Our boys did not break any traffic rules. They were wearing helmets," said Basu. Union Minister Babul Supriyo was leading the morcha in Asansol. There was a clash between police officers and BJP workers near Aamdiha. Police resorted to lathicharge. BJP supporters were clearly heard asking others to attack the police. Santanu Adhikari, Officer In-Charge of Asansol North Police Station was attacked by the protesters. Several BJP workers have been arrested.<doc-sep>Party workers were trying to take out ‘Vijay Sankalp’ rally. Workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and police clashed in parts of the State, as police tried to prevent the saffron party’s bike rally as the part of its nationwide poll campaign. Many on both sides were injured. A police statement noted that the BJP did not have a permission to hold such rallies and thus the rally was stopped. State BJP, on the other hand, claimed that permission was denied. The BJP had planned a ‘Vijay Sankalp’ rally, which is the party’s countrywide pre-poll campaign, on Sunday. Men, with a party activist as a pillion rider, could be seen in the city moving in motorbikes from one point to another, carrying the Indian and BJP flags. As part of BJP’s ‘Vijay Sankalp’ rally, its countrywide pre-poll campaign, the party organised in various parts of the State on Sunday. Police stopped the rallies and clashes broke out, injuring many on both sides. Later, a Kolkata Police statement said that “between 10.30 and 14.30 hours, members and supporters of BJP tried to organise bike rallies in several places within the city of Kolkata without having any valid permission.” “Accordingly they were intercepted and total [of] 135 (including one female) persons were arrested under preventive section[s] and 59 motorcycles were also seized,” the police statement said. Clashes were particularly fierce in Paschim [West] Medinipur, Paschim Bardhaman, Jhargram in south Bengal and South Dinajpur and Cooch Behar in north Bengal. Police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the mob at Asansol and Goaltore. BJP’s State president Dilip Ghosh, however, said that they sought permission but it was denied. “We are continuously denied permission. Police and TMC workers have brutally beaten us today…[but] we will continue with our protest challenging [TMC] cadres and the police,” he said. (With Agency inputs.) The TMC’s secretary general Partha Chatterjee indicated that the BJP is trying to create tension in the State and the attempts to disrupt law and order will be dealt with strongly. “In the name of Sankalp rally, they tried to go on a rampage in different parts of the State…These attempts will be dealt with strongly by the administration,” Mr. Chatterjee said.<doc-sep>KOLKATA: A 'chopper politics' seems to be at play in growing acrimony between the BJP and the ruling TMC in West Bengal in run-up to general election with the BJP leaders accusing chief minister Mamata Banerjee of purposefully denying landing permission to helicopters of several party leaders.Banerjee, however, has dismissed the charges and has put the blame on "eleventh hour requests" by the BJP leaders. She has also made a counter-allegation that helicopter companies were being forced to cancel bookings by her party for the Lok Sabha poll campaign.The BJP has alleged its president Amit Shah, Union minister Smriti Irani, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and former chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand (Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Arjun Munda) are among those who have been denied permission to land their helicopters for addressing rallies in different locations in West Bengal.Some of them cancelled the scheduled rallies while others decided to travel by road to the venue of the public meetings.While the BJP leaders decried the state administration's action, Banerjee dismissed the charge and instead put the blame on them for seeking permission from respective district adminstration late.She has also alleged that pressure is being mounted on companies to cancel agreements to provide helicopters to her party and that the advance money paid for booking choppers has already been returned in two cases.The latest round of slugfest started when BJP president Shah was allegedly denied permission to land his helicopter at an airstrip in Malda district on January 22.His chopper ultimately had to land on private property owned by a resort from where he made to the public meeting at Narayanpur by road.Next was Irani, who cancelled her rally at Suri in Birbhum district on January 23 after her chopper was allegedly not allowed to land at Jhargram.Adityanath had to call off his rallies at Raiganj and Balurghat on Sunday following alleged denial of permission for landing of his chopper. He addressed the meetings at two places over phone.His public rally in Bankura scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled over alleged "dilly-dallying" by the district administration over landing permission to his helicopter.However, Adityanath made to the second public meeting in Purulia on Tuesday after travelling by road after flying to Bokaro in neighbouring state Jharkhand.Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Chouhan also had to cancel his rally at Bahrampur in Murshidabad district due to alleged denial of permission for landing of his helicopter.He travelled by road for two and half hours to Kharagpur after alighting at Kolkata airport to address a "save democracy rally".Former Jharkhand CM Munda was also apparently denied permission by Bishnupur administration in West Bengal on Wednesday to hold a meeting.Munda was scheduled to address a rally of BJP workers in Bishnupur town in Bankura district of southern West Bengal, close to his home state of Jharkhand.He said he had to return to Jamshedpur, about 161 km from Bishnupur, without addressing the rally as the district administration "did not give permission to hold it". "No reason was given (by the administration)," Munda told reporters after his return.But Bankura Superintendent of Police Koteswara Rao Nalavat said permission was not given for Munda's meeting as adequate security was not available in view of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee's scheduled meeting at Onda, about 22km from Bankura town.While BJP leaders are fuming over the incidents, the TMC leaders have termed the charges baseless and asserted the permission may have been withheld by the respective district administration for various reasons, including security.Addressing mediapersons after calling off her three-day dharna on Tuesday evening over the CBI's bid to question Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar, Banerjee had dismissed allegations of denying BJP leaders permission to come to West Bengal for rallies.To drive home her point, she cited examples of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president Amit Shah holding public meetings in the state without any hassles.<doc-sep>
Clashes between BJP activists and police erupted in many places across West Bengal. BJP workers defied the state administration to hold "Vijay Sankalp" rallies across West Bengal today, giving rise to clashes with the police, news agency PTI has reported. Action was taken against the political activists - who took out motorcycle rallies ahead of the Lok Sabha elections - in view of a ban on such events for the duration of the school board examinations, it quoted police officers as saying. PTI reported clashes between BJP workers and policemen at Durgapur and Asansol in West Burdwan district; Midnapore town and Goaltore in West Midnapore; and Balurghat in South Dinajpur. They resorted to baton-charge to drive back activists at Asansol and Goaltore, leaving people on both sides injured, the news agency added. In other parts of the state, party leaders were seen arguing with police officers. The "Vijay Sankalp" motorcycle rally is part of a countrywide exercise launched by the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, set to be held by May. The movement aims to achieve a people connect and spread awareness on Prime Minister Narendra's vision for the country. BJP state president Dilip Ghosh remained steadfast in his resolve to conduct the rallies. "Hundreds of Sankalp Yatras are being held in the country, and Bengal's included. It will be held even if police arrest us," PTI quoted him as saying in Durgapur. Unidentified people had stoned Mr Ghosh's car near his Kolkata residence earlier today, news agency IANS reported. Although the BJP leader was not injured, his car was damaged in the incident. "Unidentified people threw stones at my car this morning, just as I was about to leave for Hoogly. The windscreen was cracked. We have lodged a police complaint in the matter," the news agency quoted Mr Ghosh as saying. The BJP regularly complains of the ruling Trinamool Congress obstructing attempts by the party to hold rallies in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. It has even accused the Mamata Banerjee government of trying to prevent party chief Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from landing their choppers in the state. (With inputs from Agencies)