A TMC party office was ransacked and vehicles ferrying BJP workers were set on fire in clashes that broke out following a rally by BJP chief Amit Shah at Kanthi in East Midnapore district of West Bengal on Tuesday, the parties claimed.
Sources in the two parties said three persons were injured in the clashes. No confirmation was available from the police.
The BJP alleged that buses in which party workers were returning from Shah's rally were ransacked and set on fire allegedly by TMC activists.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra claimed the state's ruling Trinamool Congress had targeted vehicles carrying BJP workers after Shah's rally.
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"A very worried Mamata Banerjee has unleashed terror on BJP workers and ordinary people. It is clear that she has lost the mandate," Patra claimed at a press conference, alleging that "Talibani forces" are at work in the state at the TMC's behest.
Attacking the chief minister, he said she recently held a joint opposition rally in the state for "saving" democracy and questioned "if this is what democracy was all about for her".
"Democracy is being murdered in West Bengal. I want to ask parties which attended her rally as to what is their stand on violence against BJP workers," Patra said.
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The Trinamool Congress on the other hand claimed that BJP workers had attacked a local TMC party office in Kanthi and vandalised it.
Irked TMC supporters then retaliated and clashes broke out, they said.
"When our supporters were returning from Amit Shah's rally they were attacked by TMC activists. This is a shame. We condemn it," BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said.
Senior TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari claimed that the BJP is trying to disturb peace and stability in the district.
"BJP workers attacked our party offices and this led to retaliation by our workers. If our party office is attacked are we going to offer sweets?" he said.
Shah, addressing the rally, launched a scathing attack on the TMC government and vowed to uproot it.
He had alleged that TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's paintings were bought by chit fund owners for crores of rupees.
PTI
