BJP, opposition parties condemn BJYM leader's bounty offer

Cutting across party lines, various political leaders today condemned a BJP youth leader's offer of a Rs 11 lakh bounty on the head of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and demanded his immediate arrest.
BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, the party in- charge in West Bengal said he condemns such statements which propagate violence.
"We do not agree with such remarks. There is anger against Mamataji for her appeasement politics, but (we) cannot support violence. We condemn such statements," Vijayvargiya said.
The bounty was announced by Yogesh Varshney, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.

The party's West Bengal unit president, Dilip Ghosh, said his party was against politics of violence and hatred and demanded action against him.
"Such statements have nothing to do with the healthy politics. This is nothing but a reflection of an unstable mind," Ghosh told reporters.

The Congress and the Left Front also came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader Yogesh Varshney for his remarks against Banerjee.
"We are against such cheap statements. Such statements not only propagate violence but also create an atmosphere of polarisation. Immediate action should be taken against him," state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said.

"Strong action should be taken against him. The police should immediately take action. This is completely barbaric and uncivilised," senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said.
Ghosh, however, questioned the silence of the intellectuals and opposition parties when a Muslim cleric, considered close to the Trinamool Congress, had issued a fatwa against him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"I saw so many intellectuals and opposition parties protesting against the offer of bounty. What were they doing when an Imam issued fatwa against me and Prime Minister? Had there been protest then, it would have sent out a strong message against such elements," Ghosh said.