BJP activists on Thursday hit the streets in Kolkata to protest against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government over law and order situation in the state. BJP MP Roopa Ganguly claimed that party workers were heading towards city Police headquarter at Lalbazar to submit a deputation. But police stopped them without any reason, she said. Every day there is a BJP worker being put behind bar, she said, adding that party workers were there for a peaceful march opposition leaders and workers are being attacked in Bengal. Police resorted to lathicharge and used water cannons to disperse the protesters. National General Secretary of BJP Kailash Vijayvargiya and West Bengal BJP state President Dilip Ghosh were arrested under Section 188 CRPC.

Meanwhile, ahead of the Opposition’s huddle to decide on a consensus candidate for the presidential poll, CM Banerjee will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today to seek more funds for her state for tackling the financial crisis and Ganga erosion. During her stay in the capital, Mamata is also likely to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

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On May 4, BJP had held protests in various parts of West Bengal accusing the Trinamool Congress of “kidnapping and forcing” the Naxalbari tribal couple, who had hosted BJP president Amit Shah during his recent visit, to join the TMC. The activists of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and the BJP organized protest rallies and meetings in Kolkata, Naxalbari, Siliguri and districts of of north and south 24 Parganas. They accused the TMC of “kidnapping” the Mahali couple who had served lunch to the BJP chief during his visit to the area in north Bengal on April 25 last.

CM Mamata Banerjee yesterday lost her cool when a journalist wanted to know whether her government would take action against the offending police officers who allegedly beat up newspersons reporting on the Left parties’ march to the state secretariat on Monday. “I will not answer your question. You are a reporter from Ganashakti (CPI-M’s Bengali mouthpiece). Please don’t do politics,” CM Banerjee had yelled at the questioner at the NSCBI airport.