lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Mar 27, 2019 10:50 IST

Bengal BJP general secretary and Lok Sabha candidate from Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district Sayantan Basu on Tuesday created a stir when he said at an election rally that on poll day central forces will be asked to shoot troublemakers in the chest and not in the leg.

He also said that women in Basirhat will hack troublemakers with hatchets used for cutting coconuts that Basirhat is famous for.

“I promise that on poll day troublemakers may come running but will leave on khatia (beds used in rural areas to carry the sick or dead). Policemen are working for Trinamool Congress. They will not be allowed to leave police stations. Only central forces will be on the streets. If anyone comes to capture polling booths, we will ask central forces to shoot them in the chest and not in the leg,” Basu said at an election rally in Basirhat.

Located not far from the Indo-Bangladesh border, Basirhat has a sizeable Muslim population and witnessed communal violence in July 2017.

“Our leaders in Delhi have asked me to provide the names of troublemakers. These people will be taken care of by the central forces,” Basu added.

His statement invited criticism from all quarters. State food and supplies minister Jyoti Priya Mullick said, “Basu wants to incite violence. We will lodge a complaint with the Election Commission.”

Demanding action against Basu, CPI(M) MLA Sujan Chakraborty said such language has never been used in any election in the state.

In an unrelated incident at Ghatal constituency in Midnapore district, former IPS officer and BJP candidate Bharati Ghosh, said during campaign that the TMC government will be dislodged its leaders will flee to foreign countries if state policemen do not work for just one day.

“TMC cannot function without the police force. I am speaking from experience. I request police officers here to be neutral on the day of polling,” said Ghosh who is facing challenge from sitting TMC MP and movie star Dipak Adhikari, popularly known as Dev.