BJP adamant on holding Amit Shah Kolkata rally

Notwithstanding the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and the fire department denying permissions, the BJP Thursday said it will go ahead with the proposed Nov 30 city rally of its national president Amit Shah.

Claiming that West Bengal Chief Minister was "afraid" of rise of the party, Bharatiya Janata Party national secretary Siddarth Nath Singh said they would approach the Calcutta High Court once again, seeking justice.

"Mamata Banerjee doesn't believe in a democratic and peaceful political fight as her approach is anarchist, therefore her government has denied permission to hold a peaceful rally," said Singh after the KMC and the fire department during the day refused permission for the rally.

Denied permission to hold the rally at Victoria House, where the ruling Trinamool Congress usually organises its annual martyrs' day rally, the BJP state unit had moved the bench of Justice Debangshu Basak alleging discrimination by the city police.

After a court ordered meeting between BJP representatives and city Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purkayastha failed to solve the impasse, Justice Basak subsequently had directed the KMC and the fire department to inform the BJP about its decision on granting permission for the rally by Thursday.

Claiming that the reasons given by the KMC and the fire department were "frivolous", Singh said the "BJP will exercise their rightful and legal option by moving the court again Friday".

"The growth of BJP in Bengal has shaken the Trinamool leadership and the movement of Banerjee's core voters the minorities to BJP has taken her sleep away. The desperate move of stopping a democratic right of holding a rally will boomerang on Trinamool and particularly on Banerjee," said Singh, also the party's observer for the state.

Singh as well as party's state unit chief Rahul Sinha asserted the rally will be held as scheduled and the "Trinamool government responsible for the consequences".