Siliguri, 10 March (H.S.) : A heated exchange broke out between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Siliguri of north Bengal on Monday night, hours before the BJP’s Parivartan Yatra is scheduled to begin in the region on Tuesday.

The argument took place between Siliguri Sub-Divisional Council president and Trinamool leader Arun Ghosh and BJP MLA from the Matigara-Naxalbari Assembly constituency, Anandamay Barman, over preparations near the venue of the BJP programme.

The dispute initially centred on the putting up of party flags and arrangements around the meeting venue, but soon escalated into a political exchange over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and development work in the area.

Police from Naxalbari police station reached the spot after receiving information about the altercation and brought the situation under control. However, in view of the tension in the area, central forces conducted a route march, while police pickets were set up to prevent any further unrest.

The BJP’s Parivartan Yatra is scheduled to begin in Siliguri on Tuesday and will reach Naxalbari by afternoon via the Siliguri-Matigara route. BJP Mahila Morcha leader Rupa Gangopadhyay, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, Jalpaiguri MP Jayanta Roy, and MLAs Shikha Chatterjee, Shankar Ghosh, Anandamay Barman and Durga Murmu, along with other local BJP leaders, are expected to participate in the yatra. A public meeting has also been organised at the Naxalbari bus stand.

As part of preparations for the meeting, BJP workers were putting up party flags in the bus stand area on Monday night. Local BJP MLA Anandamay Barman visited the site to review the arrangements. Trinamool leader and Siliguri Sub-Divisional Council president Arun Ghosh lives in the same locality. Since a Trinamool Congress meeting is also scheduled to be held at the same place two days later, Trinamool workers began putting up their party flags in the area, which led to confrontation between the two sides.

Anandamay Barman alleged that Trinamool Congress workers were attempting to remove BJP flags and replace them with the ruling party’s flags near the meeting venue, a charge denied by Arun Ghosh.

“The BJP has not done any development in the area. All development work has been carried out by Mamata Banerjee. If you ask the people here, they will say the same. After the Special Intensive Revision, many names have been deleted from the voters’ list. People will not vote for the BJP here this time,” Ghosh said.

Responding to the remark, Barman said, “The final answer will come when the Hindu votes are counted after the Assembly elections. First show how you will win from here.”

Speaking on Tuesday morning, Barman alleged that the Trinamool Congress was trying to sabotage the BJP’s programme. “They are scared of the public response to our meeting and the Parivartan Yatra. That is why they are creating trouble here,” he said.

Rejecting the allegation, Ghosh said, “They have not done a single thing in the area despite having an MLA. Names of voters are being deleted under the Special Intensive Revision. No one from our party has removed BJP flags. We were putting up our own flags as we also have a meeting here in a few days.”

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh