State unit of BJP not to observe NDA’s national bandh

Express news service Posted: Apr 28, 2008 at 0054 hrs
kolkata, April 27 The state unit of the BJP will not observe the all-India bandh called by the NDA on May 2 in protest against the inflation, as it would add to people’s woes. The party said that the people of the state has already suffered by the bandh on April 21 called by the Trinamool Congress and does not want to aggravate their problem. BJP state unit secretary Rahul Sinha announced this here on Sunday.

“As a party we are opposed to the bandh culture and the people of West Bengal suffer the most because of this obnoxious culture. Just on April 21 the state saw a bandh called by the Trinamool Congress and the SUCI. By supporting this bandh on May 2 we don’t want to aggravate the problems of the people. We took the matter up with our party leadership and they agreed with us. That is why there will be no bandh on May 2 in this state,” Sinha said.

He also criticised Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee for her comments that her party was fighting against both CPIM and the Congress in the state. “The idea dawned upon her very late. She should have understood that both of those parties were equally inimical to her party. She also said that the Malda Zila Parishad was run by an alliance comprising Congress and the BJP. But she did not say that even the Trinamool Congress was a part of that,” Sinha said. The BJP has filed nominations for 9,832 seats of gram panchayats, 2,232 seats of panchayat samities, and 483 seats of zilla parishads.

“We have decided to go it alone. But I must say one thing, had there been an alliance between the BJP and the TMC, the results would have been much better,” he added.