State govt announces secretariat closure for 2 days for sanitisation, BJP to march towards empty Nabanna today

Ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Nabanna abhijan scheduled on Thursday, the West Bengal government announced closure of the state administrative headquarters for two days – today and on Friday for the building’s sanitisation. Not just the chief minister and top officials, all employees have been given leave for two days.

For the BJP, this has been sudden and unexpected, even non-violent attack – not what they were gearing up to handle – and therefore, a bit embarrassing, but no change of programme was announced. “We are going ahead with the programme, the state government has announced a closure of the Nabanna out of fear,” said a BJP official.

The Bengal BJP has planned the Nabanna abhijan programme on Thursday to protest “the state’s deteriorating law and order situation”. With a seven-point agenda of the party against Mamata Banerjee’s government, MP from Bangalore South constituency and president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha Tejasvi Surya will lead one of the marches towards Nabanna. All senior leaders of the Bengal BJP, including the state chief Dilip Ghosh will be part of the protest march.

Four main marches are planned to head towards Nabanna from four different directions – from the BJP’s state headquarters off Central Avenue, Hastings office, Howrah Maidan and Santragachhi. Dilip Ghosh will lead the march from the party’s main office off Central Avenue. The Hastings march will be led by senior party leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya and Mukul Roy, the Howrah Maidan march will be led by Tejasvi Surya and state head of the party’s youth wing Soumitra Khan. The Santragachhi march will be led by the party’s general secretary Sayantan Basu.

Two days back, Basu had said that “We do not want to break the tenets of democracy, but it is not a one-sided matter. Our reactions would depend on the police action. If they shoot at us, obviously we won’t show kindness by treating them to sweets.” He had also said: “There will be thousands of our supporters, and not all of them are likely to be Gandhian”. A section of the state administration feels that can qualify as a statement of instigation.

However, now with Nabanna closed during the BJP’s march, there is lack of the earlier enthusiasm among the party’s supporters today.