Three-member BJP delegation to visit Bhatpara Saturday

A three-member BJP central delegation, led by former Union minister S S Ahluwalia, will visit trouble-torn Bhatpara on Saturday, where two persons were killed and several others injured in clashes between two groups believed to be affiliated to the TMC and the BJP. "Our party leadership has named three-member delegation led by our MP from Bengal S S Ahluwalia that will visit Bhatpara tomorrow. He will be accompanied by MP Satyapal Singh and BD Ram. Other state leaders will also accompany them," BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargia told PTI.

While Ahluwalia is an MP from the state, Singh and Ram are former police officers and MPs from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand respectively. The delegation will submit a report to party president and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

"Tomorrow we would visit Bhatpara. The kind of violence that has been unleashed is unprecedented. We condemn such violence being perpetuated by the state government," Ahluwalia told PTI. On the BJP delegation's scheduled visit to the area, TMC district president and state minister Jyotipriyo Mullick said the purpose of the visit is to add fuel to the fire.

"They are coming here to ensure violence continues in the area. But the people of the area will resist any such attempt. We would also appeal to police administration to be more careful as the main intention of BJP is to create violence," he said. The BJP observed a state-wide protest and demonstration against the killings on Friday.

A TMC citadel for long, Bhatpara has been witnessing frequent post-poll violence between the rival parties. The fight has intensified ever since TMC MLA Arjun Singh crossed over to the BJP and was elected to Lok Sabha from Barrackpore. Bhatpara comes under the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency.

In the by-election to the Bhatpara Assembly seat that was held along with the Lok Sabha elections, Arjun Singh's son Pawan Singh defeated TMC candidate and former state minister Madan Mitra.