Dilip Ghosh stopped from visiting Amphan-hit areas

“Four days have passed since the cyclone wreaked havoc, but the state government has failed to reach out to the distressed. Now that we are trying to help those people, it would not let us. The TMC should stop indulging in petty politics in this hour of crisis,” Dilip Ghosh insisted.

Biswabrata Goswami

Statesman News Service

MIDNAPORE, 24 MAY: West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh was stopped by the police for the second time in the two days from visiting the cyclone-ravaged areas in his constituency in West Midnapore today.

He was stopped at Srikrishnapur near Nandakumar in East Midnapore, triggering a war of words between the saffron party and the ruling Trinamul Congress workers.

As the tension reached high, Ghosh finally left in a huff.

Yesterday, Ghosh was stopped by the police from visiting the cyclone affected areas in South 24 Parganas.

Today, according to sources, Ghosh was travelling to reach his constituency - Midnapore to meet the people affected by the cyclone Amphan. But, his movement was first deviated from National highway to state highway by the police. Accordingly, he took the state highway and when he reached at Srikrishnapur near Nandakumar in East Midnapore, the police stopped him. A large section of police and RAF who were deployed there, argued that he would not be allowed to move further

because an agitation on demand of power was continuing.

On hearing the news, some BJP workers rushed to the site and started shouting slogans against police and the state government alleging that they were intentionally not allowing BJP state president to visit the cyclone ravaged areas in his territory.

Within minutes, Trinamul Congress workers reached there and raised slogans of various issues against the central government.

A minor scuffle broke out between the police personnel and BJP workers, following which Ghosh left in a huff. Police, on its part, said the saffron party leader did not have necessary permit to visit the cyclone-hit areas.“TMC leaders had been visiting the affected areas of East Midnapore. Police wouldn't stop them. The rule somehow changes for the BJP leaders,” Ghosh said.

The BJP MP also claimed that the state doesn’t want the country to know about its “failure” in combating the crisis, and was “indulging in politics to keep the truth from coming out”.

“Four days have passed since the cyclone wreaked havoc, but the state government has failed to reach out to the distressed. Now that we are trying to help those people, it would not let us. The TMC should stop indulging in petty politics in this hour of crisis,” he insisted.

Ghosh also said, “We make the law in the parliament, while police are trying to teach me about law. They are basically restricting us from reaching out to the people, but wherever I stand, people rush there to greet me because they voted me”.

Images from iNET.