Vandalism of Vidyasagar's bust shows BJP's pseudo-nationalism: Chandrababu Naidu

A day after the bust of polymath Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was vandalised in Kolkata during BJP chief Amit Shah's roadshow, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday claimed that the incident is an indication of the party's "pseudo-nationalism."

Naidu took to Twitter to condemn the violence that erupted in Kolkata yesterday and said the agitation was a representation of BJP's "true colours."

"Strongly condemn the violence perpetrated by the BJP and its workers yesterday in Kolkata. After desperately trying to destabilise the state government of West Bengal through CBI, ED and IT, they are now resorting to direct violence which shows their true colours," Naidu's tweet read.

"Vandalising the statue of a great reformer like Sri Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar is an indication of the pseudo-nationalism practised by the BJP. This incident underlines the need for all the opposition parties to stand united against the destructive tactics of Amit Shah-led BJP," he said in another tweet.

Clashes broke out on Tuesday during Shah's mega road show in Kolkata after sticks were hurled at his convoy. Security personnel had to resort to lathi charge to disperse the crowd.

Shah, while addressing a media briefing earlier today, held TMC chief Mamata Banerjee accountable for the violence at his road show, asserting that he wouldn't have been able to escape if CRPF troops were not deployed in the area. He also alleged that West Bengal Police was "a mute spectator to the violence unleashed by TMC goons".

"Had CRPF not been there, it would have been really difficult for me to escape, BJP workers were beaten up, TMC can go to any extent, it's with luck that I made it out," Shah had said earlier today.