Kolkata: Ruling Trinamool Congress and opposition BJP today criticised the Congress for calling a state-wide 12-hour bandh on August 20, saying it would affect the ongoing relief works in flood-hit districts.
“This is not a time to call Bangla bandh when a large number of people in flood-hit districts are dependent on relief,” TMC Secretary General and West Bengal Higher Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said describing it as a “wrong decision”.
The bandh would affect relief works in flood hit districts, he said adding that “The Congress has called this bandh on the birthday of Rajiv Gandhi on August 20.”
Senior TMC leader and state’s Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Subrata Mukherjee said the bandh would fail to have any impact in the state.
Though he believed a ‘reign of terror’ has been unleashed in the state, BJP state president Rahul Sinha opposed the bandh saying it was not the right time.
“When most of the districts in the state is flood-hit and a large number of people are dependent on relief, it is most unwise and impractical decision. It is nothing but bad politics,” Sinha said.
“Our party (BJP) has cancelled all political programmes for the time being because of relief works in flood affected areas,” he said.
Sinha, however, demanded probe on the alleged lynching of a student in Sabang College either by the CBI or under a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court.
West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee President Adhir Chowdhuri earlier today gave a call for a state-wide bandh on August 20 to protest against “ongoing terror and violence by ruling Trinamool Congress”.