TMC forced tribal couple to join party, claims BJP, alleges revenge politics by Mamata Banerjee govt

Soon after news spread that a tribal family in Naxalbari who had hosted BJP president Amit Shah during his West Bengal visit, have joined the Trinamool Congress, the BJP on Wednesday accused the TMC of playing revenge politics and misusing the police for political gains. [caption id=“attachment_3421786” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Ravi Shankar Prasad. PTI[/caption] Addressing a conference on Wednesday, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal forced the tribal couple — Raju and Gita Mahali — to join TMC, and that the BJP is hurt by the blatant misuse of police by the Mamata Banerjee government to serve its political gains. The Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, who also heads the Ministry of Law and Justice alleged that TMC had kidnapped the tribal couple and forced them to join the party. “While the BJP unit tried to register a case, it was not registered. Today, they (the couple) came out in the morning and announced themselves as supporters of TMC while police were guarding their house,” Prasad said. “This is a textbook case of revenge politics. A simple tribal family is not left out in this,” he said. “We are hurt by the incident, but we are least concerned with the party (TMC). Whatever struggle has to be done, our party workers will do it. Can Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stop the march of democratic feeling by the use of force?” he asked. Prasad claimed that the TMC is scared of BJP’s consecutive wins in elections, and the success of Amit Shah’s yatra in West Bengal. “BJP is winning one election after another, but instead of taking rest, Shah is travelling across India. And that has scared the TMC,” he claimed. He also accused the TMC govt, of using the police to silence its political rivals. “At one end there is open appeasement of one segment of society, and on the other hand, political rivals are being stopped with the illegal use of police,” Prasad said. The Union minister also informed that a delegation of BJP West Bengal will meet the governor of West Bengal at 5.30 pm on Wednesday and share their concerns on the same. “Whatever that is to be said, we will say it to the governor,” he said.