3 BJP activists arrested for raising 'goli maro...' slogan;

Three BJP activists,including its Hooghly district youth wing chief, have beenarrested for allegedly raising 'goli maro...' (shoot thetraitors) slogan at a roadshow of party leader SuvenduAdhikari,triggering a war of words between the saffron partyand the TMC Thursday in poll-bound West Bengal.

The three arrested persons were produced before theChandannagar Sub-divisional Court, which remanded them tojudicial custody till January 30.

The incident came out as the latest flash point betweenwarring BJP and the Trinamool Congress ahead of the assemblyelections.

The opposition BJP accused the police administration ofbeing partial as it failed to take action against the TMCsupporters who had raised similar slogans at a partys rallyrecently.

BJP's Hooghly district youth wing chief Suresh Shaw wasamong the three held in the case.

Some BJP activists had allegedly raised the slogan at aparty programme in West Bengal's Hooghly district onWednesday. The district police registered a suo motu case andarrested them late at night, an officer said.

BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said that the partydoes not endorse the slogan raised by the participants holdingthe BJP flag.

However, no police action has been initiated against theTMC activists, who had raised similar slogans at a partysrally on Tuesday.

A few TMC supporter had chanted the slogan 'Bangal kegaddaro ko, Goli Maro...' (shoot the traitors of Bengal)during a rally in Kolkata.

However, the TMC had distanced itself from the rhetoricand rebuked the activists who raised it, but remained silenton police inaction against their party cadres.

Describing the slogan as ''excessive exuberance'' on thepart of some young supporters, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghoshstated that the party does not endorse it and those who haveraised the slogan have been suspended from the party.

The BJP, however, said the police inaction against theTMC activists proves that the police have turned into ''cadresof the ruling party''.

''The partisan approach of the police in two similar casesproves that the police have turned into cadres of the rulingparty. The police should have also arrested the TMC cadres,''BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said.

Reacting to Ghoshs allegation, Kunal Ghosh said theparty did not influence the police, and it is for theadministration to decide on it.

''I would urge the BJP not to rush to conclusions ratherwait for few more days,'' he said.

Incidentally, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Marchlast year had criticised the BJP for raising ''Goli Maro...

slogans at a partys rally.

CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty claimed that both the BJPand the TMC are indulging in ''destructive politics andhampering peace in the state''.

Polls to 294-member West Bengal assembly are due in April-May this year and with every passing day acrimony between themain rivals-the TMC and the BJP-is increasing in Bengal.