No ‘Goli Maro…’ chant in Bengal civic polls campaign, BJP leaders told
KOLKATA: The BJP’s national leadership has directed its Bengal unit to refrain from raising the ‘Goli Maro…’ slogan while campaigning for the forthcoming civic elections in the state, party sources have said.
The slogan, believed to be targeting the anti-CAA protesters, turned the campaign narrative for the recent Delhi elections on its head and also put the BJP in the line of Opposition fire.
The slogan, also raised at a peace march in the wake of the Delhi riots, rent the air in Kolkata during the recent visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The top office-bearers in the saffron camp have told their Bengal charges to raise slogans such as ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, instead, and focus on issues related to civic administration during the canvassing phase.
A group of BJP supporters, headed to Shahid Minar in Kolkata where Shah addressed a rally last Sunday, allegedly raised the provocative slogan.
Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directed the police to identify those who raised the incendiary chant and act against them. Four persons were arrested in connection with the incident.
“Our national leadership has asked us not to raise the ‘Goli Maro...’ slogan in the run-up to the municipal elections. We were earlier directed to raise governance issues in Trinamool-run municipalities, as opposed to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, while campaigning for the polls,” said a BJP leader in Kolkata.