BJP stages protest in Jammu over Kolkata violence

The BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit staged a protest here on Wednesday against the alleged attack on party president Amit Shah's roadshow in Kolkata, terming the incident as "an onslaught on democracy".

Led by BJP leader Ashok Kaul, scores of party workers assembled near the statue of Maharaja Hari Singh at Tawi bridge in the heart of the city and staged a "silent sit-in" protest.

The protesters were carrying placards and banners against the Trinamool Congress government in the state led by Mamata Banerjee.

BJP and TMC supporters Tuesday fought pitched battles on the streets of Kolkata during Shah's roadshow. The BJP chief escaped unhurt, but was forced to cut short the jamboree and had to be escorted to safety by police.

Party leader Yudhvir Sethi alleged that there was "total lawlessness" in West Bengal.

"Sensing defeat in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections... the opposition is hell bent to let the nation burn, so that they can rule according to their own whims and fancies making their riches grow every other day," the BJP leader said.

BJP leader Narinder Singh said, "Mamata Banerjee is frustrated by the BJP's growing base in the region, which forms the basis of her panicked and ugly political moves.