JAMALPUR: West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh was shown black flags and his convoy pelted with stones allegedly by supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress in Purba Barddhaman district on Saturday.
However, the Trinamool Congress has denied the allegation. The incident took place when Ghosh went to Jamalpur area to interact with farmers on the farm laws. A police officer said that the supporters of the two parties clashed, following which police personnel had to resort to lathi-charge to bring the situation under control.
"As soon as my convoy entered Jamalpur, I was shown black flags and my convoy was pelted with stones by TMC activists who carried their party flags. The TMC does not believe in democracy and this is just a reflection of that," Ghosh said. "I am used to such incidents but people of the state will give them a befitting reply," he added.
However, the local TMC leadership denied the charge and said that farmers "must have protested against the farm laws, which are against their interests". The farm laws have emerged as the latest flashpoint between the BJP and the TMC in the state.
The TMC and other opposition parties have been protesting the three farm laws, saying these "anti-farmer measures" will "destroy" the agricultural sector. The BJP-led government at the Centre, however, has asserted the farm laws will free farmers from the clutches of the middlemen and allow them to sell their produce wherever they want at remunerative prices.