A day after a BJP central team warned West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee regime to take action against those attacking its party activists or face consequences, the ruling Trinamool Congress Sunday hit back saying that the opposition should not try to show the "spectre" of Delhi, as the people of the state were not afraid of such threats."They are trying to show us the spectre of Delhi. They came here, visited some areas, met the chief secretary. And now they are trying to threaten us by saying they would give a report. "But they should know, the people of Bengal are not afraid of such threats. We are not afraid," Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee told media persons at the party office.Chatterjee said the people of Bengal have elected Banerjee democratically."In the recent Lok Sabha polls too, we have got 34 of the 42 seats in the state. So they should not show us the spectre of Delhi. The people of Bengal have shown them (the opposition) their place," he said.
A five-member Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) team led by party vice presidents S.S. Ahluwalia and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Saturday visited Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district, where over two dozen party workers were injured May 28 after they were "fired upon by Trinamool patronised goons".The team later met the chief secretary at the secretariat and sought action against the attackers within 24 hours.Addressing the media later, the delegation said that if action was not taken, then the intervention of the prime minister, home minister and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes will be sought in the matter.In an apparent reference to Ahluwalia and singer-turned politician Babul Supriyo - both of whom were elected from the state in the recent polls - Chatterjee said the comments made were the fallout of a competition to become ministers."There are results of competitive politics. If just for becoming ministers, they have such comments, then that is regrettable," said the new education minister.
Reacting to Chatterjee's remarks, Supriyo said: "We never raised any spectre. They are themselves saying that. This means they are afraid."Any "responsible government" would have promised to look into the charges as that is a "democratic courtesy", he said."Whatever misdemeanour the CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) has done during the 34 years of its rule, the Trinamool has already set a target to do the same."