Now "transquilise" comment by BJP leader against those who

A BJP district president in West Bengal on Saturday became the latest to join the list of leaders of the saffron party making controversial statements by saying those who attack its workers should be "tranquilised" and if it fails, they should be "put to sleep forever".

The comment was made by BJP's Birbhum district president Shyamapada Mandal at a rally at Sainthia held in support of Citizenship Amendment Act during which he attacked the ruling Trinamool Congress for staunchly opposing it.

"You have seen how rogue elephants are dealt with. At first efforts are made to tranquilise them but if it doesn't work, they are killed by using injections. Similarly, those attacking BJP workers should be first administered tranquilisers. If that does not work, the attackers should be put to sleep forever", Mondal said.

His comment follows that of state party president Dilip Ghosh, who is known to often court controversy, had said on January 12 that those who are involved in damaging public property should be "shot at and killed like the same way in Uttar Pradesh".

Ghosh had came down heavily on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a public meeting "for not opening fire and ordering lathi-charge" on those destroying railway property and public transport during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the state in December last year.

Reacting to Mondal's comments, Trinamool Congress leader Chandrima Bhattacharya said that what the BJP leader had said is "not at all surprising".

"He is not saying anything surprising. The state BJP president Dilip Ghosh had also spoken in the same tone and tenor. Ghosh has been recently elected the state BJP president for the second time. Maybe Mondal is harbouring the aspiration of becoming the state BJP chief and that is why he spoke that way", she quipped.