West Bengal government denied permission for the location sought by BJP for the campaign rally on Tuesday in Siliguri. The Bengal unit of the BJP hired four special trains at a cost of Rs 53 lakh to help travel the BJP supporters to fill the iconic Brigade Ground where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a public rally for the general elections, however, the permission to uphold the rally in Brigade ground was denied.
The new venue will now be a ground belonging to the Indian Railways, adjacent to the New Jalpaiguri Railway Station.
Alleging the Trinamool Congress (TMC) responsible for the barriers in the permission BJP officials said that this is not the first time denying permission to hold public meetings and the landing of helicopters of BJP chief ministers and Union ministers.
In response to Modi’s rallies, Mamata Banerjee preponed her campaign schedule by a day to kick off her public rally on Wednesday at Dinhata in Cooch Behar district whereas the rally was scheduled to be held on April 4.
Brigade Ground rally in Siliguri requires permission from not just the Kolkata police but also the Indian Army and the Election Commission
The four special trains that were booked for BJP supporters to fill the conic Brigade ground will reach Howrah Station from Jhargram, Lalgola and Rampurhat, reported Anandabazar Patrika. The state BJP added that supporters were also coming in from different parts of South Bengal, particularly South 24 Parganas district.
The four sleeper trains were booked for the supporters of BJP to reach the venue and the train would be sent back after the rally. The report added that a few days ago, the train was booked through ‘Flat Tariff Rate’ that is a fixed rent.
Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh said, “We wanted to hold Prime Minister’s public meeting in the Kawakhali Ground, which belongs to Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA). Unfortunately, the local administration refused to give us permission. The ruling party is misusing its power to create hurdles before us,”