BJP office gutted in Bengal, saffron party blames TMC

A BJP office was gutted in West Bengal's Paschim Burdwan district, following which the saffron party activists accused the TMC of being behind the incident.

A party office of the BJP at Salanpur area in Asansol was reduced to ashes in a blaze on Sunday night and an investigation is on to ascertain the cause of the fire, a senior police officer said.

The BJP has put the blame on TMC, which the ruling party in West Bengal has denied, terming the incident a result of a brawl between "goons" of the saffron party.

"As part of an initiative by union minister and local MP Babul Supriyo, BJP workers distributed blankets to tribals in the area on Sunday morning, following which TMC activists set fire to our party office.

"Several other BJP offices in the area have been set ablaze in the past by the TMC. As the popularity of our party is on the rise, TMC is using these tactics to terrorise the people," BJP leader Abhijit Roy said.

Dismissing the allegations, Salanpur's TMC MLA Bidhan Upadhyay said the incident was a result of a brawl between "goons" of the BJP.

"Lottery tickets used to be sold at the entrance of the BJP party office and goons affiliated to the saffron party used to consume liquor there. This incident is a result of a brawl between them," he said.