BJP slams Trinamool for violence in Malda

BJP today attacked the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal over the "rampaging communalism" in Malda, alleging that the accused behind it are indulging in violence under its protection.
"Communalism is on a rampage in Malda. Police station has been burnt down, innocents are being attacked and there is mayhem... Those who are doing it are doing so under the protection of West Bengal government. It is not taking any substantial action," Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said at a press conference.
A mob protesting against the alleged blasphemous comments by a right wing Hindutva leader had recently resorted to violence in the district.

Naqvi said it was a "very serious" issue as the violence had been going on for hours.
Ghosh, who time and again has courted controversies for
his comments, claimed anti-national elements have chosen JNU, Jadavpur University and Hyderabad University to flare up anti-national sentiments across the country.

"These three universities have the same character - you will see anti-national slogans are being raised, slogans shouted in favour of Afzal Guru. You won't find any controversy in other universities...
"We won't allow such activities in university campus which is against the culture and heritage of our country. These are nothing but indecency and shameless act," he said.

The BJP, which had lost some steam after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, put up a spirited show in the West Bengal Assembly elections this time and played spoilsport for the opposition Left Front-Congress alliance in more than 70 seats.
Although BJP's vote share in West Bengal dipped since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from 17.5 per cent to 10.2 per cent in the recently concluded Assembly polls, yet for the first time the party won three seats fighting on its own in the state.
Earlier, BJP had won twice in by-polls and had polled around 4.06 per cent votes in 2011.

In this assembly polls, BJP garnered around 56 lakh votes, up from 19.5 lakh in 2011, and polled more than 10,000 votes in 262 out of 294 Assembly segments.
Ghosh said BJP will oppose anti-people policies of the TMC government and will emerge as the main opposition in the days to come.
Apart from Ghosh, who defeated veteran Congress leader Gyan Singh Sohanpal, BJP won Malda's Baishnabnagar seat and Madarihat seat in North Bengal.
"In 2014, we had secured 17 per cent votes because of the Narendra Modi wave across the country. We didn't have any organisational base in Bengal. This time there was no such wave. What we have got is because of the organisational strength of our party," he said.