Polls knock; A'duar BJP leaders in rush for anticipatory bail

RAJ KUMAR KARMAKAR, SNS, ALIPURDUAR, 24 FEBRUARY 21 : As Assembly elections knock, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in Alipurduar district are running from pillar to post, trying to manage anticipatory bail in different court cases that have been tiled against them in the past one year.

Leaders, including the district president of the party, Ganga Prasad Sharma, Madarihat MLA Manoj Tigga, Kaichini MLA Wilson Champramari and Alipurduar MP John Barla, and hundreds of party workers arc making rounds of the Alipurduar Court premises for the past two days for such bail orders so as to avoid arrest warrants, it is learnt.

Sources said that 27 court cases have been slapped on Mr Sharma, while Mr Tigga and Mr Champramari have been booked in more than 10 cases throughout the past year.

The BJP leaders in the district have blamed the ruling Trinamul Congress for such "false cases" against them.

"Police have lodged cases against us on instructions from ruling party leaders. We have been booked under several petty cases, including ones for merely joining a protest rally or carrying out a road blockade. However, these days of unjust are ending soon. No body will be booked under false cases after we come to power in the state," Mr Sharma said.

"More than 100 of our workers and leaders were granted bail in the cases today. It will take some more days for the court to grant bail in all the cases against all our leaders and workers," he added.

TMC leaders, on the other hand, were allegedly a happy lot, hearing of the BJP leaders desperation to manage the bail orders before the election process in the state begins.

"Law will take its own course. Law is the same for the ruling party and the opposition parties. If you engage yourself in illegal work, you must face the consequences as per the law. BJP should abide by the laws," said the Alipurduar town block TMC president, Dipta Chatterjee.