With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) planning to hold its biggest agitation this year by marching to Nabanna, the main secretariat in Howrah district, on Thursday; the state government declared that all offices in the building will remain closed for two days for sanitisation.
The announcement was made shortly before working hours came to an end on Wednesday. Writers’ Building, the old secretariat in Kolkata, will also remain shut for sanitisation on Thursday and Friday, the government said.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic started in March, the secretariats are sanitized mostly during the weekends barring a few exceptions.
Thursday’s agitation has been organised by the BJP’s youth wing. BJP leaders said Union home minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda showed interest when they were informed about the programme during a recent party meeting in Delhi.
In a parallel development, the Kolkata Police did not give permission to the BJP to take out processions from Central Avenue and Hastings. The party had planned to approach the secretariat from four directions. Short videos were aired on local television channels to create awareness about the agitation.
“It seems the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has already realised that its days are numbered. Our programme will be held peacefully as planned. We are not going to Nabanna to take over the building,” said BJP state president Dilip Ghosh.
{{/usCountry}}“It seems the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has already realised that its days are numbered. Our programme will be held peacefully as planned. We are not going to Nabanna to take over the building,” said BJP state president Dilip Ghosh.
{{/usCountry}}The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the party, has planned and organised the ‘Nabanna Chalo’ (March to Nabanna) programme with a seven-point agenda to highlight various issues ranging from lack from employment in Bengal to law and order problem.
Thousands of party workers from Kolkata and the districts are supposed to take part in it. Several central leaders, including BJYM national president Tejasvi Surya arrived in Kolkata on Tuesday.
“The government has suffered a nervous breakdown. It does not want to face the masses,” said BJP state general secretary Sayantan Basu.
TMC leaders did not comment on the state government’s decision but CPI (M) legislator and central committee member Sujan Chakraborty took at a jibe at the government.
“When Left parties and their youth organisations held a similar agitation in 2017 the police showered batons and teargas shells on our people. Mamata Banerjee is keeping the coast clear for the BJP by shutting down the secretariat. BJP workers can freely march to Nabanna. They seem to have reached an understanding,” quipped Chakraborty.