BJP's two-wheeler rally resumes amid opposition by Trinamool

The two-wheeler rally by Bharatiya Janata Party's youth wing resumed from the city on Monday after being stalled for two days by the court following the clashes between the rallyists and activists of the ruling Trinamool Congress activists on Friday.

However, the intra-state bike rally faced strong opposition even on Monday as the West Bengal's ruling party filed a fresh appeal to the Calcutta High Court to cancel the event stating several bikes from other states have participated in the rally.

"They have brought in bikes from outside states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It is evident from the number plates of those bikes. We know who has supplied them the bikes. We will move against this in our own way," Trinamool Secretary General Partha Chatterjee claimed.

The rallying BJP activists were also shown black flags in several places including Nadia district's Ranaghat by the Trinamool supporters who gathered on both sides of the route, but tight security prevented the situation from getting out of hand.

"Trinamool does not follow the court's order or the democracy. They are trying to impede the rally by force. But we have come prepared. We will finish the rally at any cost," said state BJP President Dilip Ghosh, who flagged of the rally in the morning from Swami Vivekananda's ancestral house in north Kolkata.

"If there are any bikes from outside states like Uttar Pradesh or Bihar, police should look into the matter, not Trinamool. Yes, we have brought a few bikes from Uttar Pradesh but we are not using them for the last three months. We have already approached the motor vehicles department but they have so far denied to give us the permit," he alleged.

After the state police denied permission of BJP Yuba Morcha's 'Protirodh Sankalp Abhiyan' on grounds of security due to the Gangasagar fair, the High Court gave conditional permission to the rally and appointed two special observers to oversee the situation.

However, following ugly clashes between the BJP rallyists and Trinamool supporters at Kolkata's Central Avenue on Friday, the court decided to suspend the rally for two days.

The week-long two-wheeler procession with 400 BJYM activists on 200 bikes, started from East Midnapore district's coastal town Digha and will commence at north Bengal's Cooch Behar.

--IANS

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